A Standardized Method for the Evaluation of Adherence to Practice Guidelines

Abstract

Practice guidelines are widely used in medical settings as a means of improving efficiency and quality of care by aligning service provision with evidence of what is effective. The objective of this work is to propose a methodology for the effective evaluation of the match of clinical practice data with a practice guideline. The proposed methodology uses a combination of existing analytical techniques which minimize the need for the analyst to specify a functional form for the process generating the clinical data. The methodology is illustrated in an application to a set of field data on the supplemental oxygen administration decisions of volunteer medical first responders. The result is a methodology for evaluation of guideline adherence which leverages existing patient care records and is generalizable across clinical contexts. In addition, the results are visually intuitive, supporting communication across diverse audiences.