National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Synonyms

NICE

Definition

NICE is part of the of the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) which provides medical care, free at the point of delivery, to the entire population. Its overarching purpose is to provide national guidance on the promotion of good health and the treatment of ill health.

Characteristics

The Overall Purpose of NICE

According to its web site NICE is “the independent organization responsible for providing national guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health.” It does this by commissioning and publishing guidance documents. These fall into one of five categories and are the responsibility of three “virtual” centers as follows:

• 1. Centre for Public Health Excellence

  • Public health intervention

  • Public health programs

• 2. Centre for Health Technology Evaluation

  • Technology appraisals

  • Interventional procedures

• 3. Centre for Clinical Practice

  • Clinical Guidelines

Although in its guidance NICE may make recommendations for...