The Clinical Effectiveness program at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has developed clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) using current published evidence, ongoing quality data, and expert consensus to guide clinical decision making for specific clinical circumstances, based on presenting complaints, specific patient populations, or underlying diagnoses. The goal is to provide CPGs to promote optimal patient outcomes, reduce variation among care providers, and minimize resource waste. CPGs are formatted to be easy to use at the bedside, often as an algorithm of a series of decisions in a clinically logical sequence for the setting where they are meant to be applied.

While Children’s goal is to review and revise CPGs when new evidence becomes available, there is no guarantee that the published CPG has been updated. The CPGs provide a general framework that can be followed, as appropriate, and are designed to be used for about 80% of the intended population. They are not intended to be used in all circumstances and ultimately, the physician determines the best care plan for each individual patient. The links connect to the current version of the listed CPG found on the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta website.