BSCN Clinical Practice Guidelines

These guideline documents represent the official recommendations of the BSCN regarding the practice of clinical neurophysiology in specific clinical circumstances. They are systematically developed by expert consensus, based upon the currently available evidence. They are supported by UK national data collection and evaluation through the joint BSCN/ANS audit programme. They are advisory rather than mandatory.

We have adopted the following definitions of key terms, based upon Field MJ, Lohr KN, Editors. Clinical Practice Guidelines: Directions for a New Program, Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US): 1990

Standard: The minimum procedure that is considered an acceptable evaluation of a clinical problem. Where this cannot be met the reason should be documented in the report.

Guideline: Recommended practice based upon best available evidence, modifiable according to clincial circumstances

Option: A procedure which may be useful in some circumstances or for research purposes, included in these documents as an aide-memoire

The BSCN is currently conducting a review of these documents to ensure that they are uniformly structured and conform to these definitions. Until this is complete the pre-existing guideline documents remain available in these pages.

 

Applicable to all requests for neurophysiological investigation is the need for the referring clinician to provide adequate information when making the request. This has become especially important during the COVID-19 epidemic and this document sets out the current BSCN position