Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany

The Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF; Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften), established in 1962^[1] and located in Frankfurt am Main, is the umbrella organisation of more than 150 German medical societies.

Logo of the Association.

It coordinates the national program of medical guidelines.^[2]

It is the German representative in the "Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences CIOMS" at WHO.^[2]

Guidelines

The AWMF applies four levels of classification to medical guidelines: S3, S2e, S2k and S1.^[3]

S3	Evidence and consensus-based	The highest level, for guidelines based on both a systematic analysis of the evidence and a structured consensus among a representative committee
S2e	Evidence-based	Guidelines based on a systematic analysis of the evidence
S2k	Consensus-based	Guidelines based on a structured consensus among a representative committee
S1	Expert recommendations	The lowest level, for expert recommendations that have not been developed systematically