News – August 2005

Contents

National asthma guideline revised
Implementation tool for cancer referral guidelines
Guidelines on pressure ulcers

National asthma guideline revised

The second annual update of the British guideline on the management of asthma will incorporate the latest evidence on pharmacological treatment and the use of inhaler devices.

The updated electronic version of the guideline is due to be published next month.

Recommendations on the management of asthma in pregnancy and occupational asthma will be updated in this edition. The section on outcomes and audit is also being revised.

The national evidence-based guideline is produced jointly by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network and the British Thoracic Society. The two organisations have pioneered the concept of a ‘living guideline’ i.e. a guideline which is continually updated to keep track of the evidence.

Fast-developing areas of the guideline are subject to a rolling programme of appraisal and review, and the on-line version is updated each year.

The updated version will be published on the SIGN and BTS websites (www.sign.ac.uk and www.brit-thoracic.org.uk) in September.

SIGN is reviewing its evidence-based guideline on the management of breast cancer. The revised version is due to be launched later in the autumn.

The guideline is aimed at both primary and secondary care and includes advice on diagnosis and referral.

As well as covering detailed recommendations on the roles of surgery, radiotherapy and systemic therapy in breast cancer the guideline also addresses psychological care and follow up.

There is also a useful section on information for discussion with patients and carers.

The guideline will be available free of charge from the SIGN website: www.sign.ac.uk following publication.

Implementation tool for cancer referral guidelines

NICE has produced a set of slides to help GPs implement its recently published guidelines on referral for suspected cancer.The slide set includes key information on referral pathways and also highlights the main differences between the new guidelines and previous guidance produced by the Department of Health. It can be downloaded from the NICE website: www.nice.org.uk

Guidelines on pressure ulcers

Evidence-based guidelines on the management of pressure ulcers are being drawn up by NICE.The guidelines are due to be launched in September and will be available on the NICE website.