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Welcome to the National Library of Guidelines

The National Library of Guidelines is a collection of guidelines for the NHS.  It is based on the guidelines produced by NICE and other national agencies.  The main focus of the Library is on guidelines produced in the UK, but where no UK guideline is available, guidelines from other countries are included in the collection.

NICE issues guidelines of very high quality.  They are based on a systematic review of the evidence and have extensive consultation not only with clinicians but also with patients and, where relevant, industry.  Professional associations do not have the resources to carry out this type of consultation but they can follow the principles set out in the AGREE protocol which helps guideline writers minimise bias, meet the needs of all stakeholders and maximise clarity.

Selection criteria for the National Library of Guidelines can be found in About us. Organisations interested in submitting guidelines should contact us with details of the electronic version of the guideline and a contact email address.

The interface includes an improved keyword search engine and you can also browse by Specialty to discover guidelines using the left-hand navigation bar.

The database has been developed and is maintained in collaboration with the University of Sheffield Health Sciences Library.

Comments are welcome to seek@sheffield.ac.uk.

Provided by NICE, NHS Evidence is a new service which will develop, enhance and expand the services that were previously provided by the National Library for Health (NLH). The NLH and its specialist libraries became part of NHS Evidence on 1 April 2009. Release 1 of the NHS Evidence portal and search engine went live on 30 April 2009 at http://www.evidence.nhs.uk

As part of the ongoing developments, the specialist libraries have changed their names and are, as a group, called specialist collections. This collection is now NHS Evidence - national library of guidelines, and you will continue to be able to access all the content and features. The existing url for the collection will remain for now, but is likely to change later in the year as the specialist collections become fully integrated into the NHS Evidence portal.

For more information about NHS Evidence, please follow this link to the NICE website

Latest guidelines

Depression - the treatment and management of depression in adults
Published by NICE on 28 October 2009.
Prasugrel for the treatment of acute coronary syndromes with percutaneous coronary intervention
Published by NICE on 28 October 2009.
Topotecan for the treatment of recurrent and stage IVB cervical cancer
Published by NICE on 28 October 2009.
Commissioning Guide - needle and syringe programmes
Published by NICE in September 2009.
Emergency Services Review
Published by the Department of Health on 21 October 2009.
Immunisation against infectious disease - The Green Book
Published by the Department of Health on 21 October 2009.
Information materials to support the swine flu vaccination programme
Published by the Department of Health on 21 October 2009.
Antiviral prophylaxis - guidance on the use of prophylaxis with antiviral medicines during the H1N1 swine flu pandemic
Published by the Department of Health on 15 October 2009.
Getting it right for children and families
Published by the Department of Health on 14 October 2009.
Tackling demand together - a toolkit for improving urgent and emergency care pathways by understanding increases in 999 demand
Published by the Department of Health on 12 October 2009.
Guidance for the pharmacological management of substance misuse among young people in secure environments
Published by the Department of Health on 9 October 2009.
Manual for Cancer Services 2008 - complementary therapy - safeguarding practice - measures
Published by the Department of Health on 9 October 2009.
Pandemic influenza - additional measures to meet workforce supply
Published by the Department of Health on 2 October 2009.
Blood transfusion and the anaesthetist - intra-operative cell salvage
Published by the Association of Anaesthetists of GB and Ireland in September 2009.
AAGBI safety guideline - safe management of anaesthetic related equipment
Published by the Association of Anaesthetists of GB and Ireland in September 2009.
British Orthopaedic Association Standards for Trauma BOAST 4 - the management of severe open lower limb fractures
Pubished by the British Orthopaedic Association Standards for Trauma (BOAST)on 16 September 2009.
Care recommendation - aspirin treatment in diabetes
Published by Diabetes UK on 22 October 2009.
Position statement - impaired glucose regulation IGR non-diabetic hyperglycaemia NDH Prediabetes
Published by Diabetes UK in September 2009.
Consensus guidelines for the prescription and administration of oral bowel cleansing agents
Published by the Royal College of Radiologists in September 2009.
Lets get moving - a new physical activity care pathway for the NHS - commissioning guidance
Published by the Department of Health on 24 September 2009

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