This study is an in-depth-analysis to explain statistical heterogeneity in a systematic review of implementation strategies to improve guideline adherence of primary care physicians in the treatment of patients with cardiovascular diseases. The systematic review included randomized controlled trials from a systematic search in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, conference proceedings and registers of on...

Purpose: To determine the effects of the implementation of the LRS-guideline in two regions in The Netherlands with regard to reduction of unnecessary referrals and duration of total diagnostic procedure. The effects were related to the cost of implementing the guideline. Theory: The guideline Although in The Netherlands GPs, physiotherapists and neurologists share the same guidelines regarding...

BACKGROUND Screening cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is an important part of CVD prevention. The success of screening is dependent on the rigour with which treatments are subsequently prescribed. AIM To establish the extent to which treatment conforms to guidelines. DESIGN AND SETTING Cross-sectional study of anonymised patient records from 19 general practices in the UK. METHOD Data rela...

BACKGROUND Tobacco use adversely affects oral health. Tobacco use prevention and cessation (TUPAC) counselling guidelines recommend that healthcare providers ask about each patient's tobacco use, assess the patient's readiness and willingness to stop, document tobacco use habits, advise the patient to stop, assist and help in quitting, and arrange monitoring of progress at follow-up appointment...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a newly developed implementation strategy for the insurance medicine guidelines for depression in the Netherlands. We hypothesized that an educational intervention would increase the insurance physicians' (IPs) guideline adherence in a controlled setting. METHODS Forty IPs were allocated in a randomised controlled trial (RCT)...

BACKGROUND To prevent inappropriate empiric antibiotic treatment in patients with bacteremia caused by third-generation cephalosporin (3GC)-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (3GC-R EB), Dutch guidelines recommend β-lactam and aminoglycoside combination therapy or carbapenem monotherapy in patients with prior 3GC-R EB colonization and/or recent cephalosporin or fluoroquinolone usage. Positive predict...

BACKGROUND Nursing home (NH)-acquired pneumonia (NHAP) causes excessive mortality, hospitalization, and functional decline, partly because many NH residents do not receive appropriate care. Care structures like nurse/resident staffing ratios can impede or abet quality care. This study examines the relationship between nurse/resident staffing ratios, turnover, and adherence to evidence-based gui...

BACKGROUND Evidence-based guidelines from the American Heart Association are voluntary, and adherence is highly variable across the country. Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) is a national quality improvement program sponsored and developed by the American Heart Association. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether participation in GWTG is associated with greater adherence to guidelines...

BACKGROUND Low adherence to Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guideline recommendations has been reported worldwide. There has been no study on the adherence to GOLD guidelines for COPD treatment in Turkey. OBJECTIVES To investigate the rates of adherence to GOLD 2010 guidelines for COPD treatment among pulmonologists. DESIGN A multi-center, cross-sectional, obse...

BACKGROUND Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is the most common gastrointestinal disease, and the cost of health care and lost productivity due to GERD is extremely high. Recently described side effects of long-term acid suppression have increased the interest in nonpharmacologic methods for alleviating GERD symptoms. We aimed to examine whether GERD patients follow recommended dietary gui...