Clinical practice guidelines are generally accepted as an important tool for improving the quality of clinical care provided by health professionals, as well providing guidance to ensure the quality use of medicines and health technologies. Since 2003, numerous guidelines, protocols and clinical pathways were developed by various organizations within the health system. However, as there was no uniformly accepted single Estonian national approach to guideline development, this resulted in a wide array of guideline formats.
In 2010, a comprehensive assessment of the situation was made by the World Health Organization (WHO), EHIF, the Medical Faculty at the University of Tartu, and national and international experts in an effort to streamline and harmonize the principles and processes of guideline development in Estonia from 2011 onwards.
An updated process, described in a new handbook set up by the Medical Faculty at the University of Tartu and by EHIF, and endorsed by the Ministry of Social Affairs, supports a consistent approach to guideline development. The updated process has been developed in consultation with WHO experts and has been tested in Estonia through a pilot project consisting of development of a new guideline during 2010-2011 on the management of hypertension in primary care.
This handbook is intended to bring together the experience gathered thus far and the current internationally accepted methods for developing guidelines. It intends to cover all aspects of guideline development, starting with assessing the need for guidelines and finishing with the distribution, implementation, and updating of guidelines.
