Abstract
PRIMARY TRACK
Guideline dissemination
SECONDARY TRACK
Other guideline dissemination
BACKGROUND (INTRODUCTION)
Since 2002, 394 clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have been officially released by the Ministry of Health in Hungary. Effective dissemination of these guidelines is a crucial step in their implementation to clinical practice. From January 2010, ministerial order has been put in place in Hungary for auditing health service delivery in relation to standards of existing national guidelines. Therefore, we investigated the effectiveness of guideline dissemination across different target groups of various clinical fields.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES (TRAINING GOALS)
Identify different methods that can improve guideline dissemination. Understand how electronic dissemination would improve guideline access.
METHODS
A survey was performed among 200 physicians from 11 different specialties using a structured questionnaire.
RESULTS
Forty-three percent reported that national CPGs are difficult to access, and 57.5% that they can get the guidelines from four to six different sources. Traditional routes of guideline dissemination are common: conferences - 76.5%; Guideline Handbook (the Hungarian version of “Guidelines”) - 72%; local protocols – 67.5%; promotion by pharmaceutical industry - 43%. Electronic dissemination is also widely used: Internet - 68%; homepage of the Ministry of Health - 48.5%; e-mail - 36%; and the new guideline homepage of the Institute for Healthcare Quality Improvement - 24%. Other communication channels to current guidelines are less commonly used: scientific journals – 10.5%; medical societies - 6%; contact with colleagues - 4.5%; CME - 4%; local hospital protocols - 1%, and via auditing performance - 0.5%.
DISCUSSION (CONCLUSION)
Physicians become aware of and access guidelines via various routes. The use of information technology is widespread; however, printed versions of CPGs are still popular. Our findings suggest that improved methods for electronic dissemination of brief and easily downloadable summaries of key recommendations of CPGs would improve guideline access and utilization in Hungary.
TARGET AUDIENCE(S)
Guideline implementer Quality improvement manager/facilitator