Guidelines and Clinical Practice Update Library

These statements were developed following a thorough consideration of medical literature and the best available evidence and clinical experience. They represent the consensus of a multidisciplinary panel comprised of experts on the topic with a mandate to formulate disease-specific recommendations. Recommendations are aimed to provide a reasonable and practical approach to care for specialists and allied health professionals obliged with the duty of bestowing optimal care to patients and families, and can be subject to change as scientific knowledge and technology advance and as practice patterns evolve. These statements are not intended to be a substitute for physicians using their individual judgement in managing clinical care in consultation with the patient, with appropriate regard to all the individual circumstances of the patient, diagnostic and treatment options available and available resources. Adherence to these recommendations will not necessarily produce successful outcomes in every case.