Introduction — This topic includes links to society and government-sponsored guidelines from selected countries and regions around the world. We will update these links periodically; newer versions of some guidelines may be available on each society's website. Some societies may require users to log in to access their guidelines.
The recommendations in the following guidelines may vary from those that appear in UpToDate topic reviews. Readers who are looking for UpToDate topic reviews should use the UpToDate search box to find the relevant content.
Links to related guidelines are provided separately. (See "Society guideline links: COVID-19 – Index of guideline topics".)
General guidance for adults and children
●United States
•American Gastroenterological Association (AGA): Rapid review and guideline for SARS-CoV2 testing and endoscopy post-vaccination, update (2021)
•American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD), American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), AGA, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE): COVID-19 clinical insights for our community of gastroenterologists and gastroenterology care providers (2020)
●Europe
•United European Gastroenterology (UEG): COVID-19 and digestive health
●United Kingdom
•British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG): COVID-19 guidance and advice
•British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL), BSG, British Transplantation Society (BTS), National Health Service Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), British Liver Trust (BLT): Defining patient groups that should be considered for shielding/highly vulnerable categories (2020, updated 2021)
•BSG: Advice on COVID-19 for patients with gastrointestinal or liver conditions (2020, updated 2021)
•BSG: Guidance on rebooting gastroenterology and hepatology outpatients in the wake of COVID-19 (2020, updated 2021)
•BSG and BASL: COVID-19 – Advice for healthcare professionals in gastroenterology and hepatology (2020, updated 2021)
●Australia–New Zealand
•Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA): Principles for clinicians caring for paediatric gastroenterology patients during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
Cancer care in adults and children
●(See "Society guideline links: COVID-19 – Oncology care for solid tumors", section on 'Gastrointestinal non-colorectal cancer'.)
Endoscopy and other procedures in adults and children
●International
•North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN): Position paper on pediatric endoscopy in the era of COVID-19 (2020)
●Canada
•Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG): COVID-19 – Advice for endoscopy facilities (2020)
•CAG: COVID-19 – Framework for the resumption of endoscopic activities (2020)
●United States
•American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD), American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE): Gastroenterology professional society guidance on endoscopic procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
•AGA: Rapid recommendations for gastrointestinal procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
•AGA: Rapid review and recommendations on the role of pre-procedure SARS-CoV-2 testing and endoscopy (2020)
•AGA and Digestive Health Physicians Association (DHPA): Joint guidance – Recommendations for resumption of elective endoscopy during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
•American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (ANMS): Task force recommendations for resumption of motility laboratory operations during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
•ASGE: Guidance for resuming GI endoscopy and practice operations after the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
•ASGE: Triaging advanced GI endoscopy procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic – Consensus recommendations using the Delphi method (2020)
•ASGE, Society of Gastroenterology Nurses and Associates (SGNA), ACG, AGA, American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS), and Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES): Management of endoscopes, endoscope reprocessing, and storage areas during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
●Europe
•European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) and European Society of Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Nurses and Associates (ESGENA): Position statement on gastrointestinal endoscopy and the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
●United Kingdom
•British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (BAPEN) and British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG): Joint statement on endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) insertion (2020, updated 2021)
•BSG: An update to information and guidance for endoscopy services in the COVID-19 pandemic (2021)
•BSG: Guidance in relation to GI physiology provision during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020, updated 2021)
•BSG: Guidance on recommencing GI endoscopy in the deceleration and early recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (2020, updated 2021)
•BSG: Interim guidance – COVID-19 specific non-biopsy protocol for those with suspected coeliac disease (2020, updated 2021)
•BSG: Multi-society guidance on further recovery of endoscopy services during the post-pandemic phase of COVID-19 (2020, updated 2021)
•BSG: Triage guidance for upper gastrointestinal physiology investigations during restoration of services during the COVID-19 pandemic (2021)
•BSG and Joint Advisory Group (JAG): Guidance on endoscopy activity and COVID-19 (2020, updated 2021)
●Australia–New Zealand
•Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA): Updated advice on preventative measures during gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopic procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
•GESA: Updated recommendations on endoscopic procedure triage (2020)
•GESA and Gastroenterological Nurses College of Australia (GENCA): Recommendations for endoscope reprocessing during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
●Japan
•[In English] Asian Pacific Society for Digestive Endoscopy (APSDE): Practice of endoscopy during COVID-19 pandemic – Position statement (APSDE-COVID statements) (2020)
•[In Japanese] Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society (JGES): Recommendations for gastrointestinal endoscopic medical care for new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) (2020)
Inflammatory bowel disease in adults
●International
•SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases – Recommendations from an international consensus meeting (2021)
•International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IOIBD): Best practice guidance for adult infusion centers during the COVID 19 pandemic (2020)
•IOIBD: Best practice guidance for endoscopy for IBD during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
•IOIBD: Best practice guidance for when to restart IBD therapy in patients who have had confirmed or suspected COVID 19 (2020)
•IOIBD: Care of the IBD patient requiring hospitalization or surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
•IOIBD and European Crohn's and Colitis Organization (ECCO): COVID-19 and IBD – Guidance on management of patients (2020)
●Canada
•Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG): Communiqué on COVID-19 vaccination in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (2021)
●United States
•American Gastroenterological Association (AGA): Clinical practice update on management of inflammatory bowel disease during the COVID-19 pandemic – Expert commentary (2020)
•World Endoscopy Organization (WEO): Practical advice for management of inflammatory bowel diseases patients during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
●Europe
•International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IOIBD) and European Crohn's and Colitis Organization (ECCO): COVID-19 and IBD – Guidance on management of patients (2020)
●United Kingdom
•British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG): Expanded consensus advice for the management of IBD during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020, updated 2021)
•BSG: Guidance for management of inflammatory bowel disease during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020, updated 2021)
•BSG and IBD Clinical Research Group: Position statement on SARS-CoV-2 vaccination (2021)
●Australia–New Zealand
•Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA): Practical management of inflammatory bowel disease patients during the COVID-19 pandemic – Expert commentary (2020)
•GESA: Principles for clinicians caring for patients with IBD during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
Inflammatory bowel disease in children
●International
•SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases – Recommendations from an international consensus meeting (2021)
●Europe
•European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN): COVID-19 and paediatric inflammatory bowel diseases – Global experience and provisional guidance (2020)
●United Kingdom
•British Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (BSPGHAN): Position statement – Management of PIBD during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (2020)
Liver disease in adults
●United States
•American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD): Expert panel consensus statement – Vaccines to prevent COVID-19 in patients with liver disease (2022)
●Europe
•European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL): Position statement on impact of COVID-19 on the liver and on the care of patients with chronic liver disease, hepatobiliary cancer, and liver transplantation (2022)
•EASL-European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID): Position paper on the care of patients with liver disease during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
●United Kingdom
•British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) and British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL): Advice on use of TIPPS as salvage therapy and the prevention of variceal bleeding during COVID-19 (2020, updated 2021)
•BSG and BASL: COVID-19 advice on hepatology patient risk groups (2020, updated 2021)
•BSG, BASL, National Health Service Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), British Liver Trust (BLT): A joint statement on vaccination for SARS-CoV-2 in patients with liver disease (2021)
●Australia–New Zealand
•Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA): Considerations for management of liver diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
Liver disease in children
●United States
•American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD): Expert panel consensus statement – Vaccines to prevent COVID-19 in patients with liver disease (2022)
●Europe
•European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL): Position statement on impact of COVID-19 on the liver and on the care of patients with chronic liver disease, hepatobiliary cancer, and liver transplantation (2022)
●United Kingdom
•British Society of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (BSPGHAN): Updated shielding guidance for children with chronic liver disease and those on immunosuppression (autoimmune liver disease and liver transplantation) (2020)
Solid organ transplantation in adults and children
●(See "Society guideline links: COVID-19 – Solid organ transplantation".)
Resources for patients — The following links provide resources about COVID-19 for non-clinicians. These resources come from select society and government-sponsored guidelines from several countries and regions around the world.
●[United States] American College of Gastroenterology (ACG): COVID-19 and GI – Patients
●[United Kingdom] British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG): Latest COVID-19 advice for patients
UpToDate also offers "The Basics" patient education pieces, which are written by the doctors and editors at UpToDate. These are written in plain language, at the 5th to 6th grade reading level, and answer the main questions a person is likely to have. (See "Patient education: COVID-19 overview (The Basics)" and "Patient education: COVID-19 and children (The Basics)" and "Patient education: COVID-19 and pregnancy (The Basics)" and "Patient education: COVID-19 vaccines (The Basics)".)
