WHO/Europe has published a new handbook that will help countries adopt health evidence-based guidelines and adapt them to their unique national contexts. Trustworthy, evidence-based health guidelines form the basis of national policies affecting both patients and health-care workers. Emphasizing the link between robust evidence and people’s trust in their health systems, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe said at the launch event, “Trust and transformation are key words for us, especially when we talk about improving and strengthening our health systems. Transformation should first and foremost serve the interests of patients and health-care workers”. While it is not always easy to demonstrate the immediate effect of guidelines on people’s health, there is no viable alternative to utilizing guidelines based on the best available evidence. Yet, developing robust guidelines remains a challenge for most countries. “Guidelines need to be both simple to use and timely, they need to address people’s real needs, especially at the local level, and should ultimately reflect the resources available,” said Dr Natasha Azzopardi-Muscat, Director, Country Health Policies and Systems, WHO/Europe. “This means that any successful guideline needs to be adjusted and adapted to local contexts and realities.” A new handbook to support countries across the Region The newly released handbook, titled “Strengthening countries’ capacities to adopt and adapt evidence-based guidelines”, is designed to help governments and other stakeholders to address the challenge of contextualizing guidelines. Unveiled at an expert meeting at WHO/Europe in late August 2023, the handbook is the result of a collaborative effort of leading scientists in the area and WHO experts. It aims to bridge the gap between globally accepted health guidelines based on evidence and their local adaptation within countries. The handbook outlines a new approach to guideline contextualization, grounded in the GRADE-ADOLOPMENT methodology. Adolopment, a term derived from “adoption”, “adaptation” and “de novo development”, offers a transparent framework for crafting recommendations that resonate with the specific context of countries. At its core, the handbook provides a step-by-step guide – comprising 15 steps of adolopment. The launch event saw the participation of 45 policy-makers and experts from 21 countries. “It was great to be able to bring together so many high-level speakers, experts and colleagues from across the world, all of whom are extremely committed to the development and implementation of trustworthy, evidence-based guidelines,” said Marge Reinap, Technical Officer on Evidence for Policy at WHO/Europe and co-author of the handbook. Throughout the 2-day event, attendees were introduced to international standards for trustworthy guidelines and engaged in immersive technical training on the development, adaptation and adoption processes outlined in the handbook and other WHO resources. As one of the participants noted in their feedback, the inclusion of real-life cases and examples from various countries was extremely beneficial. The handbook and event marked the first step by WHO/Europe towards supporting Member States to contextualize health guidelines effectively. It once more underscores WHO/Europe’s commitment to advancing evidence-based health care, and ultimately improving health outcomes and health-care delivery for all.