Developing recommendations to promote the uptake of research information in clinical practice

This paper is aimed at highlighting some often overlooked aspects of the development of recommendations for clinical practice, and at addressing some of the key factors that can play a role as determinants of the acceptability of recommendations in clinical practice by the targeted health care providers. It is contended that, even in areas of clinical practice where clearcut recommendations could easily be drawn from the available evidence and apparently the issue at stake is just to transfer the appropriate message to the targeted audience, it is important to acknowledge--from the development stage of the recommendations--the complexity and the role of non-scientific key determinants (i.e. beliefs, values, vested interests) of clinical behaviour.