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Guidelines in professions allied to medicine.
1Centre for Health Services Research, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 21 Claremont Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, UK, NE2 4AA. l.h.thomas@newcastle.ac.uk
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|May 5, 2000
Summary
Clinical practice guidelines show promise in improving healthcare processes and outcomes for allied health professionals. However, findings require cautious interpretation due to study limitations and variations across settings.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Evidence-Based Practice
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Clinical practice guidelines are essential for standardizing care and reducing variations.
- Implementing guidelines aims to enhance the delivery of evidence-based healthcare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of introducing clinical practice guidelines in nursing, midwifery, and allied health professions.
- To assess the effectiveness of guideline implementation strategies on healthcare delivery.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review of randomized trials, controlled before-and-after studies, and interrupted time series analyses.
- Searched multiple databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL) and reference lists; data extracted by two independent reviewers.
Main Results:
- Eighteen studies involving over 467 professionals were included; study methods were often inadequately reported.
- Guideline implementation showed improvements in some care processes and outcomes, particularly in nursing.
- Limited evidence from economic evaluations and comparisons with physician care, with generally comparable outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Guideline-driven care demonstrates potential for improving care processes and outcomes in allied health professions.
- Generalizability of findings may be limited due to variations in study quality and professional groups.