Table 3 Uses of guidelines
From: Health promoter, advocate, legitimiser — the many roles of WHO guidelines: a qualitative study
Use | Quotation |
|---|---|
To communicate evidence-based information and guidance for best practice | “Since the WHO guidelines are not prescriptive, they are meant to really help decision-makers make informed decisions. It is not our role to make decisions for them” (Andrew, HQ staff) |
To justify and initiate policy changes | “[Guidelines are] in two-ways as a reason to and a reason not to do stuff, but they’ll often say, we’re not going to do anything unless WHO says, we’ll wait for the WHO recommendations on this, and that’s a very common mention.” (Mary, HQ Staff) Characterising adopting WHO guideline recommendations as following the “gold standard” (Olivia, Country Office staff) |
To initiate advocacy programmes raising awareness regarding conditions and their treatment | A new intervention threshold needed “advocacy programmes” that “sometimes take months, even a year” (Nicole, Country Office staff) |