Voluntary Guidelines for Emergency Medicine Practice

Reaffirmed by the ACEP Board of Directors October 2007
Originally approved by the ACEP Board of Directors July 2001 

The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) believes that emergency medicine should provide the highest quality of service and patient care based on current scientific research and available resources. Various organizations, including professional societies, governmental agencies, and managed care organizations, routinely develop and disseminate voluntary guidelines that impact patient care practices. If used, voluntary guidelines should supplement and enhance patient care and be implemented in a systematic process supervised by an emergency physician. Voluntary guidelines do not represent the standard of care in emergency medicine.