"Clinical practice guidelines are statements that include recommendations intended to optimize patient care that are informed by a systematic review of evidence and an assessment of the benefits and harms of alternative care options."(Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Standards for Developing Trustworthy Clinical Practice Guidelines, 2011, p. 4)
Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Standards for Developing Trustworthy Clinical Practice Guidelines; Graham R, Mancher M, Miller Wolman D, et al., editors. (2011). Clinical practice guidelines we can trust. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK209539/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK209539.pdf.