Journal of evaluation in clinical practice
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Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are systematically developed statements that assist practitioners to provide appropriate evidence-based care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of currently published CPGs for stroke care and to examine the reliability and validity of the appraisal of guidelines, research and evaluation (AGREE) instrument. ⋯ There is considerable variability in quality of stroke care guidelines but stroke guidelines score higher on the AGREE rigour of development domain than CPGs from other medical fields. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network, Veterans Affairs/Department of Defence, Royal College of Physicians, and the New Zealand Guidelines Group consistently scored the highest across the domains. Stroke rehabilitation clinicians should consider these results in selecting a guideline. CPG development groups can improve their AGREE scores by considering the cost of implementing their CPGs, pilot testing their CPGs, recording conflict of interest of development panel members and providing tools supporting application of their CPGs.
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Evidence-based practice is a strategic ingredient in today's health care. Despite extensive efforts to produce and disseminate clinical guidelines, research uptake is still a difficult task. In Sweden, elderly care (EC) has shifted from hospital care to community-based care, and the major nursing-staff group in EC has no university education. These and other factors make implementation of evidence-based care particularly challenging in EC settings. The purpose of this study was to identify determinants of research utilization in EC. ⋯ Individual and organizational factors were associated with the use of research in EC. Despite distinguishing conditions in EC settings, identified factors reflect well-known determinants of research use that, as in many other health care contexts, should be considered in the endeavours of evidence-based practice.