Using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to develop and disseminate guidelines

To be effective, practice guidelines must accommodate the unique circumstances of individual patients. This article describes how the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a decision-making technique, could be used to create flexible guidelines by linking guideline developers and clinical decision makers as coworkers in a common decision-making process. The advantages of using this approach for guideline dissemination are discussed and compared with other methods for disseminating and implementing guidelines. The clinical feasibility of the AHP approach is also reviewed.