Endorsement of Clinical Resources


Page last updated 15 March 2024

The endorsement and approval process for Clinical Resources

The RACGP logo is regarded as a distinguished mark of approval by the Australian health professional community. To ensure the logo is only provided for high quality clinical resources, the RACGP has a robust endorsement/approval process in place. A fee is payable which covers costs involved and use of the logo.

There are three levels of RACGP approval for which you can receive permission to display the RACGP logo and these are detailed below.

1. Endorsement of clinical guidelines

RACGP endorsement is only provided for clinical guidelines that are produced to National Health and Medical Research Council standard.

Endorsement as a clinical practice guideline is provided when a guideline is rigorously and transparently evidence informed. It must be free of conflicts of interest and appropriate for general practice. The guideline recommendations must be referenced and graded to help guide clinical management, in the context of the patient’s setting. This includes comorbidities and preferences.

A guideline that has received RACGP endorsement will be issued with the RACGP endorsed clinical guideline logo, for use on their guideline.

2. Approval as an Accepted Clinical Resource (ACR)

Accepted Clinical Resource status is provided for clinical resources that are not produced to NHMRC guidelines standards, but which are still produced to a high standard for use in general practice.

Because ACRs are not produced to NHMRC guideline standards, GPs are advised to apply a greater degree of clinical discretion when using these types of resources to guide practice. This is because the evidence base in support of the content is either limited or not clearly described.

A resource that has received RACGP approval as an Accepted Clinical Resource will be issued with the RACGP Accepted Clinical Resource logo, for use on their resource.

3. Supported position

A document that is not a Guideline or an RACGP Accepted Clinical Resource may be approved as an RACGP Supported Position/Statement if the RACGP considers the resource:

  • is a consensus and/or position statement
  • does not contradict with the RACGP’s position in an existing resource, and
  • has a favorable assessment using the RACGP assessment tool and Review process.

Applications are assessed using the RACGP’s review criteria (see RACGP guideline assessment tool and RACGP Consensus Statement - assessment tool). This ensures resources are of a high standard, align with best practice - including current RACGP guidelines, and are relevant to general practice.

Reviews are undertaken by GP members of the RACGP’s Expert Committee for Quality Care, and/or by GPs appointed by this committee.

Promotion of approved resources

Resources that have received RACGP endorsement/ approval will be listed on the RACGP website and promoted through the RACGP’s weekly e-newsletter. Only endorsed or approved resources can be promoted this way.

Non endorsement/approval

The RACGP reserves the right to decline a request for endorsement or approval of a resource. This is usually because a resource is considered either not useful for general practice, clinically unsuitable, or inappropriate for RACGP endorsement or approval. A resource will be considered unsuitable for endorsement or approval if it does not align with RACGP principles or if it conflicts with current RACGP guidelines and recommendations.

Fees

The RACGP charges an application fee for assessment of clinical resources. The fee depends on the size and complexity of the resource and is applied on a sliding scale from $1000 to approximately $8,000, or more. The application fee covers the cost of the review process and does not guarantee final endorsement or approval.

If a requesting organisation wants to display the RACGP logo on endorsed or approved resources, they are required to sign an IP License. The License outlines the terms and conditions for use of the logo. The usual term for endorsement or approval is three years.

Timeframe

The review and approval process usually takes about 8 - 10 weeks.


Enquiries

For all enquiries about RACGP endorsement or approval.

 repsandendorsements@racgp.org.au

 03 8699 0334


Related document

RACGP assessment tool (DOCX 17.5 KB)

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