Clinical guidelines are developed systematically based on best available evidence to aid clinical decision making.1 The use of appropriately validated and tested clinical prediction rules (CPRs) is one way of implementing evidence-based medicine (EBM) for diagnosis and prognosis in clinical practice. CPRs are defined as tools that quantify the contributions of history, clinical examination, and diagnostic tests to stratify a patient in terms of the probability of having a target disorder (diagnostic CPR) or a future health outcome (prognostic CPR).1 An example is the Goldman CPR, which uses a combination of clinical and electrocardiograph findings to risk-stratify patients presenting with chest pain as low, moderate, or high risk of a cardiac cause.2 Smaller proportions of CPRs go further and recommend management decisions based on their algorithms, for instance, the modified Centor score for streptococcal throat infection stratifies patients based on symptoms and clinical signs and then uses this to direct the need for antibiotic prescription.3,4
However, there are well-recognised barriers to implementing CPRs at the point of care.5,6 One such barrier is a tendency to develop more CPRs for the same clinical situation, rather than validating existing models.7 The significant increase in the publication of CPRs in recent years suggests an increased interest on the part of researchers at least in such models.8,9 It is unclear if this reflects increasing usage of these tools in clinical practice or how this may vary across clinical areas.
This study investigated whether published CPRs have been considered useful by expert bodies and at the point of clinical care. To answer the first question, a review of international clinical guidelines produced on behalf of expert bodies was performed, and to answer the second, a well-defined group of UK clinicians, GPs were surveyed about their use of CPRs in selected clinical areas.
How this fits in
The use of appropriately validated and tested clinical prediction rules (CPRs) is one way of implementing evidence-based medicine for diagnosis and prognosis in clinical practice and publication of CPRs has risen significantly. This study showed that recommendation of CPRs by clinical guidelines varied according to clinical area. Surveyed GPs reported using CPRs most frequently in the clinical domains of cardiovascular disease and depression, primarily to guide management and adhere to local policy requirements. Future efforts could focus on determining in which areas of practice CPRs would be most beneficial for clinicians and patients, and promoting the use of robust, externally validated CPRs.