Medical protocol
Encyclopedia
Medical protocol can refer to:
- medical guidelinesGuideline (medical)A medical guideline is a document with the aim of guiding decisions and criteria regarding diagnosis, management, and treatment in specific areas of healthcare...
for a medical treatment. It usually includes a treatment plan, summarized consensus statements and addresses practical issues.
- Clinical protocol, which has a more specific meaning. It describes a method to be used in a clinical trial (e.g. of a drug or medical treatment) or a medical research study.
- A set of rules followed by providers such as EMTs or nurses. Often considered to be stricter than a guideline, and to carry more weight with the law, but there is no hard evidence to support this view and the terms are usually used interchangeably.