Background Although NICE guidelines are developed to inform clinical practice in England and Wales, they attract interest from researchers, clinicians and healthcare organisations all over the world. This has generated discourse about whether, and to what degree, recommendations from NICE guidelines are applicable to different countries.

Objectives To consider if NICE recommendations should be adapted for use in other countries in terms of differences in health care systems, values and needs? - To discuss the varying approaches to adopting NICE guidelines and recommendations Methods Using the NICE Intrapartum Care clinical guideline, we will select illustrative examples of recommendations. Factual data and information from one developing country - Islamic Republic of Iran - will be used to evaluate the ease with which these could be implemented. We will consider the Iranian health care setting; economic situation; social values; geographical issues; cultural issues and priority health care policies.

Results We will present the findings in three categories corresponding to the ease with which NICE recommendations can be implemented in another country.

Discussion A focused discussion will centre on - whether adopting NICE guidelines and recommendations outside of England and Wales is feasible - what additional work may be need to carried out to facilitate this process - the ethics of such activity in terms of self-reliance and research capacity.

Implications for Guideline Developers/Users This project will identify areas where existing guidance can be shared across borders thereby reducing duplication of effort; facilitating international collaboration and building capacity in guideline development methodology and implementation.