ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Clinical guideline

A clinical guideline is like a special set of rules that doctors follow to help them take care of their patients. It's like a game with instructions that tells the doctors what to do in different situations with different types of patients. These rules are made by a group of really smart doctors who have studied a lot and know what works best for patients.

For example, let's pretend that a patient comes to the doctor with a bad cough. The clinical guideline might tell the doctor to ask the patient some questions about their cough, like when it started and if they have any other symptoms. Then, based on what the patient says, the clinical guideline might say that the doctor should give the patient some medicine or tell them to get some rest.

The clinical guideline is like a map that helps the doctor know what to do next. This way, every patient gets the best possible care and treatment, and the doctors don't have to guess what to do. That's why having a clinical guideline is really important, as it helps doctors take good care of their patients.