ObjectivesTo investigate the awareness and knowledge of Chinese guideline developers on the patient version of guidelines (PVG).MethodsA questionnaire was developed and distributed to participants of the guideline development workshop on the " 2017 Chinese Medical Doctor Association Annual Conference on Evidence-Based Medicine & Gansu Medical Doctor Association/ Gansu Medical Association Annual Conference on Evidence-Based Medicine”, and guideline developers in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Xi’an, Beijing and other places were investigated through field surveys. The questionnaire included ten questions centred on respondents’ awareness and their views on the development of PVG. After the invalid questionnaire was excluded, Excel 2013 software was used for data entry, and SPSS 19.0 software was used for data analysis.Results150 questionnaires were distributed and 107 (71.3%) were collected, from which 90 (60.0%) questionnaires with complete response were analyzed. For the awareness of PVG: 30.0% of respondents chose " just know it without more knowledge”, 34.4% chose " never heard of”. The awareness was not associated with educational or departmental background, majors and regions (P>0.05). For opinions on PVG and its development process: 86.7% of the respondents thought PVG is necessary, 90% thought the presentation of PVG needs to follow reporting standards, and 45.6% thought the primary barrier of the development of PVG is lack of cognition.ConclusionsResearch work on PVGs is at an initial stage in China. The awareness among Chinese guideline developers and relevant researchers is lacking and the development methodology requires further exploration. Carrying out research relevant to PVG can promote its development and application in China, so as to improve the clinical practice.