The present 2019 S2k consensus guideline of the German Respiratory Society was written for pneumologists – in contrast to the more general predecessor's S3 guidelines from 2004 to 2010 –, since 2014 the German College of General Practitioners and Family Physicians (DEGAM) published their own cough guidelines.

The guidelines contain 48 recommendations agreed upon the consensus and 16 statements, which are explained in the background text in the following nine chapters: epidemiology, physiology, classification, acute, subacute or chronic cough, diagnostics and therapy; an extra chapter was dedicated to chronic idiopathic/refractory cough. Further emphasis of the guidelines is the physiology of cough in anticipation of the introduction of new drugs, as well as detailed treatment for cough triggered by affectations of the upper respiratory tract or gastroesophageal reflux.

The guideline should provide the pneumologist with the latest knowledge for neighboring disciplines required for diagnosis and therapy of cough. The clinical chapters also contain a short summary, practical recommendations and a bibliography of their own. Three new simplified algorithms for acute, subacute and chronic cough, round off the diagnostics chapter.

德国呼吸学会目前的2019年S2k共识指南是为肺炎医师编写的-与2004年至2010年更普遍的前任S3指南相反-自2014年以来，德国全科医生和家庭医师学院（DEGAM）发布了他们自己的咳嗽指南。

该指南包含48条经共识达成的建议和16条声明，在以下九章的背景文本中进行了解释：流行病学，生理学，分类，急性，亚急性或慢性咳嗽，诊断和治疗；额外的一章专门讨论慢性特发性/难治性咳嗽。该指南的进一步重点是预期引入新药时的咳嗽生理，以及对上呼吸道或胃食管反流的影响引发的咳嗽的详细治疗。

该指南应为呼吸科医生提供有关咳嗽的诊断和治疗所需的邻近学科的最新知识。临床章节还包含简短摘要，实用建议和自己的参考书目。新增了三种针对急性，亚急性和慢性咳嗽的简化算法，在诊断一章中做了补充。