2.7 Guideline dissemination and implementation
Guidelines are developed to be disseminated and implemented in such a way that practitioners and consumers become aware of them and use them. This will involve identifying potential obstacles to implementation and tailoring implementation strategies to the particular contexts in which the guidelines are to be introduced.
2.8 Evaluation
It is important to evaluate the implementation process to determine the extent to which the guidelines affected practitioners’ knowledge and behaviour and what, if any, factors contributed to non-compliance with the guidelines. These results might inform the development of more effective implementation strategies.
It is also important to establish whether the introduction of the guidelines produced the anticipated health outcomes. Thus, once the guidelines are implemented, health outcomes should be routinely monitored wherever practical. Outcomes associated with the introduction of evidence-based guidelines must be evaluated since the efficacy of treatments delivered in strictly controlled trials may not always be realised in day-to-day practice.
2.9 Revision
Because guidelines need to be based on the best available evidence, they should be reviewed regularly and modified where necessary to take into account new research, new technologies, and the results of evaluation of guideline outcomes.