Admin Guide: Comparing Your Guidelines with NICE

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Open Compare to NICE

• Open a document in the Eolas editor. This can be a document you've written in Eolas or an uploaded Word (.docx) file: choose Edit from Admin Actions and it opens as an editor document.
• Click Compare to NICE at the top of the editor, next to Submit for review and Publish.
• The Compare to NICE panel opens alongside your document.

2. Choose a NICE guideline

• Under Suggested, Eolas lists NICE guidelines that match your document's title.
• To find a different one, use Search to look by condition, theme, title or NICE reference (for example, NG253).
• Select one guideline to compare against. Each comparison uses one guideline.

3. Run the comparison

• Click Compare now. Eolas saves your draft first, then compares it with the guideline.
• The comparison usually takes a minute or two. You can keep editing while it runs; Eolas compares the version that was saved when you clicked Compare now.

4. Read the summary

• When the comparison finishes, the panel shows the NICE guideline with its version and a link to Open on nice.org.uk.
• The AI summary shows how many differences were found. Click Show to see them broken down by type: affect care, other differences, not covered, match and not applicable.
• The summary is AI-generated, so check each point against the NICE guideline before changing your document.
• Use Was this useful? to give a thumbs up or down.

5. Review the findings

• Findings are listed by NICE recommendation number, grouped by section.
• Each finding has a label: Affects care means your document differs in a way that changes care; Not covered means your document doesn't cover the recommendation.
• Each finding explains the difference and quotes the related text: Your document for a direct match, or Closest related text when there isn't one.
• Click a finding to highlight the matching text in your document.
• Paragraphs with differences are also marked in your document.

6. Record a decision on a finding

• Click a finding to see its options:
• Local variation: your document differs from NICE on purpose. Add your reason under Why does your document differ on purpose? and click Save. The reason is shown on the finding, and you can Undo it.
• Incorrect: tell us the finding is wrong.
• Resolved: you've dealt with the difference.
• Eolas doesn't change your document for you. Make any changes in the editor yourself, then save, submit for review or publish as usual.

7. See all recommendations or compare again

• The findings list shows Differences only by default. Switch to All to see every NICE recommendation, including those that Matches your document.
• To check against a different NICE guideline, click Compare with another guideline.

Common Questions This Article Answers

Getting started

Why can't I see Compare to NICE?
Compare to NICE is available to admins with access to NICE guidelines. It works on documents created in the Eolas editor and on uploaded Word (.docx) files.

Can I compare a file I've uploaded, such as a PDF or Word document?
Yes for Word (.docx) files. Choose Edit from Admin Actions and the file opens in the Eolas editor, where you can use Compare to NICE. PDFs can't be compared but if you upload the original (.docx) file to Eolas instead, you can do the comparison there instead! 

Can I compare against more than one NICE guideline at once?
No. Each comparison uses one guideline. Use Compare with another guideline to run another.

Running a comparison

Do I need to save my document first?
No. Compare now saves a draft for you before it starts.

How long does it take?
Usually a minute or two. You can keep editing while it runs.

Understanding the results

What's the difference between Affects care and Not covered?
Affects care means your document says something different that changes care. Not covered means your document doesn't address that recommendation.

Will Eolas change my document?
No. Findings explain the differences; you decide what to change and edit the document yourself.

What should I do if my document differs from NICE on purpose?
Mark the finding as a Local variation and add your reason. It's recorded against the finding.

Transcript of Video

0:00 - A draft guideline is open in the Eolas editor; Compare to NICE is clicked.
0:08 - A NICE guideline is searched for and selected.
0:16 - Compare now is clicked and the comparison runs.
0:25 - The summary shows how many differences were found, with the breakdown by type.
0:34 - Findings are reviewed, and clicking one highlights the matching text in the document.
0:45 - A finding is marked as a Local variation with a reason, and saved.
0:59 - The list is switched to All to show every NICE recommendation, including matches.
1:07 - The document can be edited alongside the findings, or compared with another guideline.

Support Contact

For more detailed guidance, visit our Knowledge Base or email us at support@eolasmedical.com.