Therapeutic Guidelines’ transition to a living guidelines approach optimised for the point of care.

Evidence does not change on a schedule, so neither should guideline updates.

Following a period of research, trials and consultation, Therapeutic Guidelines is fully transitioning its publishing model from scheduled whole-guideline reviews to timely, targeted updates driven by evidence changes and user feedback.

Continuing to leverage dedicated expert groups for each therapeutic area, the new model uses standing groups who meet regularly to monitor and respond to signals for change, including new drugs, safety alerts, and updates to national clinical practice guidelines. To ensure updates remain useful and relevant to clinicians, the model prioritises practice-changing evidence, delivering a living guidelines approach that is optimised for the point of care.

Given the scale of the change and the importance of maintaining high quality information, the new model is being refined on a subset of guidelines. Users will start to see regular updates in areas such as Respiratory, Sexual and Reproductive Health, and Diabetes, with more therapeutic areas planned for transition over 2026 and 2027. During this transition period, whole-guideline updates will continue for some guidelines.

A summary of the updates in each release of Therapeutic Guidelines is available on the homepage. Users can scan this list to consider what changes are relevant to their practice. When a topic is updated, a summary of what’s changed is included in a new right-hand sidebar and the topic date is updated. Users can quickly assess what’s changed since they last read the topic – saving time and ensuring key changes are not missed. The sidebar also lists expert group members, providing transparency and trust to support decision making.

For topics that have been assessed as current by the standing expert group without the need for updates, transparency of the review and confidence in currency of the topic is provided by including a review date on the topic.

As we refine the model, we welcome user feedback on the usefulness and relevance of the updates, and how they are being communicated. Please email your feedback to feedback@tg.org.au.