The 2015 guidelines for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: an important chapter in the evolution of the management of patients with IPF

During the past 15 years, clinical practice guidelines have evolved from the consensus-based opinions of experts to evidence-based documents developed using a rigorous systematic approach. In 2000, a selected panel of international experts in the field of interstitial lung diseases developed a guideline for the diagnosis and management of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) [1]. The guideline was based upon the consensus opinions of the few expert panel members; the panel members' decisions were not informed by a systematic review of the literature, meaning that there was no formal synthesis of the evidence or appraisal of the quality of the evidence. Despite these limitations, the guideline was considered state of the art for the time. It provided important direction to clinicians, including the first concrete definition for IPF, and provoked new studies. During the following decade, abundant evidence accumulated at a rapid rate, making it difficult for the average clinician to synthesise, interpret, and apply the evidence to their clinical practice. To address this, and to improve upon the previous document, the IPF guideline was updated in 2011 using an evidence-based approach for the first time [2]. The updated guideline redefined IPF using precise diagnostic criteria based on the clinical, radiological and histopathological features of IPF; it also it provided evidence-based treatment recommendations for the first time in the field of IPF. 2015 guidelines for treatment of IPF empowers the clinician and patient to make individualised treatment decisions