Deontic expressions recommended for use by a sample of guideline-developing organisations
| Deontic verb or phrase | AAN | AAPD | ACC/AHA | ACCP | NICE | NZGG | USPSTF |
| Should | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ||||
| May | ✗ | ||||||
| Must | ✗ | ||||||
| Should be done | ✗ | ||||||
| Consider | ✗ | ✗ | |||||
| Should consider | ✗ | ||||||
| Should be considered | ✗ | ||||||
| May/might be considered | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ||||
| Must be considered | |||||||
| Recommend or is recommended | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | |||
| Is indicated | ✗ | ||||||
| Suggest or is suggested | ✗ | ||||||
| Is/may/might be reasonable | ✗ | ||||||
| Is/can/may be useful | ✗ | ||||||
| Is/can/may be effective | ✗ | ||||||
| Offer | ✗ | ||||||
| Discuss | ✗ |
AAN, American Academy of Neurology23; AAPD, American Academy Of Paediatric Dentistry24; ACC, American College of Cardiology25; AHA, American Heart Association25; ACCP, American College of Chest Physicians26; NICE, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (England and Wales). Also provide specific instructions for the rare use of “must” and “must not”14: NZGG, New Zealand Guidelines Group27; USPSTF, US Preventive Services Task Force.13