Guidelines in the Register of the Association of Scientific Medical Societies in Germany - A Quality Improvement Campaign.

The Association of Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF) is the umbrella organization of medical scientific societies in Germany. The development of guidelines goes back to an initiative of the medical scientific societies and is coordinated by the AWMF. Rules for the inclusion of guidelines in the AWMF Guideline Register have been defined including how guidelines are classified. S1 guidelines are based only on recommendations by experts, whereas S2 guidelines require a structured consensus process or a systematic literature review. S3 guidelines include both elements. In addition to compulsory disclosure of any potential conflict of interest, transparent handling of potential conflicts of interest is an important confidence-building measure. For years, the trend has been to develop higher order (S2/S3) guidelines, and the German Society for Gynecology and Obstetrics (DGGG) has been no exception to the trend. In addition to its responsibility for specific S2 and S3 guidelines, the DGGG is also involved in numerous other interdisciplinary guidelines. When developing a guideline, it is essential to define the guideline's scope, identify aspects which require improvement and agree on the goals. Target groups affected by the guidelines should be involved if they are interested. Different formats (long and short versions, practical instructions, conventional or electronic decision aids, patient versions) are useful to disseminate the guideline. The guideline can be adapted to local circumstances to encourage implementation of its recommendations. Implementation can be measured using quality indicators. Feedback from practitioners is important as this highlights areas which require improvement. The medical scientific societies in Germany can look back on almost two decades of work spent on developing guidelines, most of it done by unpaid voluntary contributors, making this a very successful quality initiative.

[From clinical practice guidelines towards quality assurance]. / Von Leitlinien zur Qualitätssicherung.

Clinical practice guidelines have been introduced to assist decision making at the bedside of individual patients. Guidelines are also increasingly regarded as being an indispensable part of professional quality systems. Guidelines are important tools to improve knowledge-management, processes and outcomes in healthcare. They aim to assist professional and patient decisions especially in those areas of healthcare where considerable variation or potential for improvement exist and they can provide a foundation for assessing and evaluating the quality and effectiveness of healthcare in terms of measuring processes and outcomes. Quality indicators or performance measures based on guideline recommendations are necessary to evaluate the usefulness of guidelines and the appropriateness of healthcare delivery. Guideline recommendations are the tools for healthcare professionals to develop strategies for quality improvement in case deviations from desired processes or outcomes are identified by the measurement of quality indicators.

[Perspectives in guideline development and implementation in Germany]. / Perspektiven der Leitlinienentwicklung und -implementation aus der Sicht der AWMF.

Guidelines are important tools for improving knowledge management, processes and outcomes in health care. They aim to assisst both the clinical and the patient decision-making process, particularly in those areas of health care where considerable variation or potential for improvement exist. However, guidelines are often subject to substantial criticism by practicing clinicians. A prerequisite to improving the acceptance of guidelines is a systematic and methodically sound approach in guideline development. The German instrument for methodological guideline appraisal, DELBI, is intended to assist both guideline developers and users. However, this alone is insufficient. Implementation is a process requiring multifaceted strategies to promote behavior change. These include the provision of assistance for local adaptation and well-defined quality indicators for monitoring guideline adherence and quality of care. Additionally, possible links to existing quality management activities should be taken into account to avoid duplication of efforts.