Canadian Association of Gastroenterology policy on the application for,and implementation of,clinical practice guidelines

An important mandate of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG), as documented in theAssociation’s governance policies, is to optimize the care of patients with digestivedisorders. Clinical practice guidelines are one means of achieving this goal. The benefits oftimely, high-quality and evidenced-based recommendations include:

• Enhancing the professional development of clinical members through education and dissemination ofsynthesized clinical research;
• Improving patient care provided by members by providing focus on quality and evidence;
• Creating legislative environments that favour effective clinical practice;
• Enhancing the clinical care provided to patients with digestive disease bynongastroenterologists; and
• Identifying areas that require further information or research to improve clinical care.

The present document provides the foundation required to ensure that clinical practiceguidelines produced by the CAG are necessary, appropriate, credible and applicable. Theserecommendations should be adhered to as closely as possible to obtain CAG endorsement.