Working to strengthen the equity, relevance, and inclusivity of clinical practice guidelines through collaboration, diverse perspectives, and evidence-informed approaches.

Creating Inclusive Guidelines

Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) play a critical role in translating evidence into practice by providing recommendations that support high-quality, consistent healthcare delivery. Well-developed guidelines can help reduce unwarranted variation in care and contribute to improved and more equitable health outcomes at the population level.

Despite these benefits, the clinical evidence used to develop CPGs may not always capture the diverse social, cultural, and contextual factors that shape individuals’ health experiences and care needs. Greater attention to equity is therefore needed to ensure that guidelines are relevant and applicable across diverse populations.

The C4 team is examining how considerations of equity are incorporated into the development, implementation, and evaluation of Clinical Practice Guidelines. Through approaches that value diverse forms of knowledge and collaboration, this work aims to identify opportunities to strengthen equity-focused guideline development and support more inclusive, person-centred healthcare recommendations in the future.

In 2026, Dr. Rabi and fellow  Canadian Cardiovascular Harmonized National Guideline Endeavour (C-CHANGE) investigatorspublished the first Canadian Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) to bring together evidence from cardiology, neurology, and mental health research to support the care of individuals living with both heart and brain conditions.

Published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ), and led by C4-collaborator, Dr. Sheldon Tobe with the Brain-Heart InterConnectome, this Guideline acknowledge the complex and interconnected nature of conditions that affect multiple body systems. Developed through an equity-informed approach and guided by diverse forms of expertise, including lived experience, the guidelines seek to promote more comprehensive, coordinated, and person-centred care.

This work highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in guideline development and provides a foundation for improving care for individuals living with complex, multi-system health conditions.

  • Jodi D. Edwards, Zhe Li, Philip McFarlane, Doreen M. Rabi, […], and Sheldon W. Tobe. Management of brain–heart multimorbidity: a clinical practice guideline. CMAJ Mar 2026, 198 (12) E425-E439; DOI:10.1503/cmaj.251137

Sponsored by Diabetes Canada, the C4 team is conducting an evaluation of the Diabetes Canada Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) program. This work examines how the guidelines have evolved over time and explores how considerations of equity are incorporated into the guideline development process.

Clinical Practice Guidelines play an important role in shaping healthcare delivery and supporting evidence-informed care for people living with diabetes. To improve health outcomes for all Canadians, it is essential that these guidelines reflect the diverse needs, experiences, and circumstances of the populations they serve.

By examining how equity has been considered in the development of diabetes guidelines, this research aims to identify opportunities to strengthen inclusive and equitable approaches to clinical guidance. The findings will help inform future guideline development and support efforts to improve diabetes prevention, treatment, and care across Canada.

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