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PubMed1998

Practice guidelines and the practice of medicine: is it the end of clinical judgment and expertise?

Clinical practice guidelines are an increasing part of efforts to improve the quality and reduce the cost of health care. They are recommendations for the evidence-based care of average patients, not rules for all patients. At best they are developed by panels representing a wide array of expertise and experience related to the clinical question, are based on comprehensive, critical review of scientific evidence, make clear how value judgments affect recommendations, and take into account all of the issues bearing on clinical decisions, such as effectiveness, risk, convenience, cost, cost-effectiveness, and the resources needed to carry out the recommendations. Physicians have a mixed opinion of guidelines, believing they are both useful summaries to improve the quality of care and potential tools to judge and control them. Although guidelines may point out the best research evidence to guide the care of average patients, they are not a substitute for clinical judgment, which should be applied to each individual patient.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed1997

Practice guidelines for community-based parenteral anti-infective therapy. ISDA Practice Guidelines Committee.

This is the fourth in a series of practice guidelines commissioned by the Infectious Diseases Society of America through its Practice Guidelines Committee. The purpose of this guideline is to provide assistance to clinicians when making decisions on when and how to best administer parenteral antimicrobial therapy. The targeted providers are internists, pediatricians, family practitioners, and other providers of outpatient antiinfective therapy. Criteria for selecting the appropriate patients and settings to deliver therapy in the community are described. Panel members represented experts in adult and pediatric infectious diseases. The guidelines are evidence-based. A standard ranking system is used for the strength of the recommendations and the quality of the evidence cited in the literature reviewed. The document has been subjected to external review by peer reviewers as well as by the Practice Guidelines Committee and was approved by the IDSA Council. An executive summary and tables highlight the major recommendations.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

An evidence-based approach to evaluating and improving clinical practice: implementing practice guidelines.

Clinical practice guidelines can improve health care outcomes, but they are only as effective as their implementation. We present a framework for implementing practice guidelines that begins by identifying the forces driving and restraining the adoption of the guideline. Strategies for changing physician behavior that strengthen the driving forces and weaken the restraining forces can then be incorporated into a comprehensive implementation program. Nine strategies for changing physician behavior are presented, based on a review of the literature and organizational experience at Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound. In designing an implementation strategy, it is essential that the resources allocated to implementation are commensurate with the improvement in outcomes expected from the successful implementation of the guideline. All implementation programs should include plans for measuring outcomes to allow for continuing improvement. Guideline implementation, evaluation and improvement efforts are most likely to be successful when they are part of an explicit, evidence-based process for evaluating and improving clinical practice.

Decision Making↗
PubMed1998

Organizational tactics for the successful assimilation of medical practice guidelines.

Medical practice guidelines are being developed rapidly and advocated as a crucial component in transforming and improving the delivery of health care services. However, little is known about the ability of hospitals to institute guidelines outside of experimental settings. This article approaches guideline implementation from the viewpoint of process innovation assimilation and presents specific recommendations for organizational tactics leading to successful implementation of practice guidelines.

Diffusion of Innovation↗
PubMed2001

Cognitive psychological studies of representation and use of clinical practice guidelines.

Clinical practice guidelines provide a means to enhance physician performance. This investigation was undertaken in an attempt to understand the nature of impact of guideline use on physician performance. We investigated the impact of (a) algorithmic-based and (b) text-based practice guidelines on clinical decision-making by physicians at varying levels of expertise. Data were collected using clinical scenarios and a think-aloud paradigm, both with (primed) and without (spontaneous) the use of the guidelines. The two guidelines used in the study were management of diabetes and screening for thyroid disease. The results show that guidelines were used as reminders for both experts and non-experts. Guidelines acted as an educational tool for non-experts by assisting in knowledge reorganization, particularly for the non-experts. Text and algorithmic guideline formats were both useful to physician performance depending on the purpose of use: solving clinical problems or learning. These results provide insights into how guidelines can be fine-tuned for different users and for different purposes. Empirical research, coupled with design principles from the cognitive sciences, can form an essential component of guideline design and development.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Progress of clinical oncology guidelines development using the Practice Guidelines Development Cycle: the role of practitioner feedback.

PURPOSE: To present an update on the development of oncology practice guidelines (PGs) using the Practice Guidelines Development Cycle (Cycle), and to present the results of surveys of oncologists on the first 10 guidelines from the Cancer Care Ontario Practice Guidelines Initiative. METHODS: Practitioners' opinions about guidelines in development were sought using a mail survey method with systematic follow-up. Practitioners were identified by cancer center representatives. Survey packages included evidence-based recommendations (EBRs) and a one-page, nine-item feedback questionnaire. Data were collected between February 1995 and February 1996. RESULTS: Nine hundred fourteen surveys that pertained to 10 guidelines were mailed to 423 practitioners in Ontario. Practitioners included 112 medical oncologists/hematologists, 34 radiation oncologists, 195 surgeons, and 82 practitioners from other medical specialities. One hundred practitioners were located in cancer centers and 323 had community-based practices. The overall response rate by practitioner was 72% and by survey questionnaire, 70%. For the five questionnaire items that assessed guideline quality, approval ratings ranged from 86% to 92%. For the 10 recommendations, 77% ( 63% to 82%) of respondents agreed that the EBR could be approved as a PG. Response and approval rates were consistent across medical specialities and locations of practice. CONCLUSION: The process of obtaining practitioner feedback in the development of PGs is both feasible and useful. The high response rates to the survey indicate that it is possible to obtain broad participation in evidence-based guidelines development throughout Ontario. The changes made to the EBRs in response to feedback suggest that practitioners' opinions can be valuable in shaping evidence-based guidelines.

Evidence-Based Medicine↗
PubMed2005

Evaluating best practice guidelines.

Clinical practice guidelines are developed with the purpose of improving patient care. The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) Nursing Best Practice Guidelines (BPG) Project was implemented in 1999. It has resulted in the development, implementation and evaluation of 17 BPGs with agencies in different healthcare sectors. This article describes the process, challenges and lessons learned by the team responsible for evaluating the BPGs.

Benchmarking↗
PubMed2000

Consensual validation of clinical practice model practice guidelines.

Clinical Practice Model (CPM) Practice Guidelines facilitate the delivery of consistent, high-quality patient care by clarifying nursing services and supporting the practice and documentation of each step of the nursing process. CPM Practice Guidelines are unique because they are part of an integrated interactive systems thinking framework to support professional practice; they are reviewed and improved routinely using multiple sources of data and are used by hundreds of nurses daily throughout the United States and Canada. Guidelines are developed using a rigorous standardized format and process. Consensual validation is an important part of establishing and maintaining the credibility of these Guidelines.

Humans↗
PubMed2000

Consumer contributions in developing clinical practice guidelines.

Clinical practice guidelines are designed for use with consumers. However, consumers are rarely consulted about their development. This paper describes a research project to develop clinical practice guidelines for a community meeting to prevent and intervene with assaultive behavior. The research included consumer input from psychiatric inpatients. The two-phase approach with the consumers included a focus group, followed by survey research. Results, problems, and recommendations are presented.

Boston↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Vaginal discharge in the adult: a practice guideline.

A practice guideline as a preformatted chart is presented. It is designed to be simple in concept and design, easy to use, parsimonious of data, easily scanned for quality assurance, and to provide clinical and cost-effectiveness prompts. It has supporting medical information for all recommendations that is literature- and experience-based. A patient aftercare instruction sheet is appended. An abbreviated "pocket practice guideline" is also provided. This format is clearly appropriate only for simple, not complex, clinical encounters.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Clinical practice guidelines and Australian general practice. Contemporary issues.

BACKGROUND: This paper summarises recent important clinical practice guideline initiatives in Australia which have direct relevance to Australian general practice. OBJECTIVE: Activities of the National Health and Medical Research Council (NH&MRC), professional groups and the Commonwealth Department of Health's General Practice Strategy including relevant outputs of the General Practice Evaluation Program are examined in detail. This paper provides criteria for GPs to assess whether a clinical practice guideline is likely to be practical and useful for them. It examines the future development of guidelines and emphasises the need for a clearer understanding of the GP role in this and highlights strategies for overcoming barriers to implementation. DISCUSSION: While a great deal of effort has been invested in clinical practice guideline development and implementation, further development and focussed effort on dissemination is needed if they are to fulfill their potential to improve clinical practice. Australian general practice presents a number of challenges and barriers to successful uptake including lack of computerisation, attitudinal barriers and variable coverage of clinical issues in existing guidelines. Concern about the nature and purpose of guidelines is also frequently expressed.

Australia↗
PubMed1996

Clinical practice guidelines. New-to-practice family physicians' attitudes.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the attitudes toward clinical practice guidelines of a group of family physicians who had recently entered practice in Ontario, and to compare them with the attitudes of a group of internists from the United States. DESIGN: Mailed questionnaire survey of all members of a defined cohort. SETTING: Ontario family practices. PARTICIPANTS: Certificants of the College of Family Physicians of Canada who received certification in 1989, 1990, and 1991 and who were practising in Ontario. Of 564-cohort members, 395 (70%) responded. Men (184) and women (211) responded at the same rate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Levels of agreement with 10 descriptive statements about practice guidelines and analyses of variance of these responses for several physician characteristics. RESULTS: Of respondents in independent practice, 80% were in group practice. Women were more likely to have chosen group practice, in which they were more likely to use practice guidelines than men. Generally favourable attitudes toward guidelines were observed. Physician characteristics occasionally influenced agreement with the descriptors. The pattern of agreement was similar to that noted in the study of American internists, but, in general, Ontario physicians were more supportive. CONCLUSIONS: This group of relatively new-to-practice Ontario family physicians shows little resistance to guidelines and appears to read less threat of external control in them than does the US group.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2004

Radiotherapy fractionation for the palliation of uncomplicated painful bone metastases - an evidence-based practice guideline.

BACKGROUND: This practice guideline was developed to provide recommendations to clinicians in Ontario on the preferred standard radiotherapy fractionation schedule for the treatment of painful bone metastases. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed and published elsewhere. The Supportive Care Guidelines Group, a multidisciplinary guideline development panel, formulated clinical recommendations based on their interpretation of the evidence. In addition to evidence from clinical trials, the panel also considered patient convenience and ease of administration of palliative radiotherapy. External review of the draft report by Ontario practitioners was obtained through a mailed survey, and final approval was obtained from the Practice Guidelines Coordinating Committee. RESULTS: Meta-analysis did not detect a significant difference in complete or overall pain relief between single treatment and multifraction palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases. Fifty-nine Ontario practitioners responded to the mailed survey (return rate 62%). Forty-two percent also returned written comments. Eighty-three percent of respondents agreed with the interpretation of the evidence and 75% agreed that the report should be approved as a practice guideline. Minor revisions were made based on feedback from the external reviewers and the Practice Guidelines Coordinating Committee. The Practice Guidelines Coordinating Committee approved the final practice guideline report. CONCLUSION: For adult patients with single or multiple radiographically confirmed bone metastases of any histology corresponding to painful areas in previously non-irradiated areas without pathologic fractures or spinal cord/cauda equine compression, we conclude that: Where the treatment objective is pain relief, a single 8 Gy treatment, prescribed to the appropriate target volume, is recommended as the standard dose-fractionation schedule for the treatment of symptomatic and uncomplicated bone metastases. Several factors frequently considered in clinical practice when applying this evidence such as the effect of primary histology, anatomical site of treatment, risk of pathological fracture, soft tissue disease and cord compression, use of antiemetics, and the role of retreatment are discussed as qualifying statements.Our systematic review and meta-analysis provided high quality evidence for the key recommendation in this clinical practice guideline. Qualifying statements addressing factors that should be considered when applying this recommendation in clinical practice facilitate its clinical application. The rigorous development and approval process result in a final document that is strongly endorsed by practitioners as a practice guideline.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Practice guideline for examination of the placenta: developed by the Placental Pathology Practice Guideline Development Task Force of the College of American Pathologists.

The Placental Pathology Practice Guideline Development Task Force, a multidisciplinary group, has prepared this guideline to assist those involved with placental examination. It provides recommendations related to indications and methods for placental examination as well as sample worksheets. An algorithm for the handling of placentas summarizes the recommendations of the guideline. A summary of specific findings of placental examination together with their pathogenesis and clinical associations is also provided. Recommendations related to reporting with sample reporting formats are included. The guideline is intended as an educational tool, and its use should be guided by the individual circumstances and care setting of specific cases.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Best practices in the development of clinical practice guidelines.

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have been used to reduce unnecessary and undesirable variations in clinical practice. Many facilities succeed in developing and using these tools, while others conclude that they are not worth the effort. This article describes the results of a systemwide analysis of the processes a healthcare system used to plan, develop, implement, and measure CPGs after several years of experience. Extensive interviews were conducted at facilities in which the CPG program was active to determine what factors had contributed to its success or failure. The result is a series of recommendations that will facilitate CPG implementation in virtually any clinical setting.

Benchmarking↗
PubMed1997

Reducing length of stay for patients hospitalized with exacerbation of COPD by using a practice guideline.

UNLABELLED: Clinical practice guidelines have been promoted as an effective way of reducing costs while maintaining quality care. OBJECTIVE: To study a practice guideline to shorten length of stay for patients hospitalized with exacerbation of COPD. METHODS: We retrospectively studied a practice guideline to identify patients who were at low risk of complications from their exacerbation of COPD and hence potentially suitable for early hospital discharge. We then prospectively studied the practice guideline using an alternate month intervention and control time series over a period of 12 months. RESULTS: The practice guideline was retrospectively studied in 250 consecutive patients hospitalized with exacerbation of COPD. Of the 250 patients, 237 patients (94.8%) were classified as low risk after 72 h of hospitalization and were potentially suitable for discharge. In the prospective study, few patients (24 of 124 or 19%) were identified for implementation of the guideline. However, in those patients who were identified, length of stay was not statistically different. The data also showed that length of stay for both intervention and control groups had shortened over this time. CONCLUSION: Certain practice guidelines may appear efficacious in studies but may actually lack effectiveness when applied in clinical settings and may even increase costs. We demonstrated the importance of prospectively evaluating clinical practice guidelines before recommending them for widespread implementation.

Female↗