Use and perceptions of clinical practice guidelines by internal medicine physicians.
The authors sought to explore the use and perceptions of clinical practice guidelines among internal medicine physicians. Through a Web-based survey, 201 board-certified internal medicine physicians rated their opinions on several statements using 7-point Likert scales. Most respondents (74.7%) felt that guidelines were suitable for at least half of their patients, although a failure to take comorbid conditions into account was a frequently cited barrier. For patients with cardiovascular disease, there was no difference between individual internists' perceptions of their own compliance with guidelines and their estimates of cardiologists' compliance (P = .14). A large majority of respondents (70.7%) believed that guideline committee member participation in industry-funded research introduces bias into guideline content (median [interquartile range], 5 [4-6]). Although most respondents felt that measuring physicians against guideline-based performance measures encourages evidence-based medicine (76.5%), opinions were split as to whether this practice distracts from patient care or compromises physician autonomy.
Shea
Alisa M
AM
Center for Clinical and Genetic Economics, Duke Clinical Research Institute, NC 27715, USA.
DePuy
Venita
V
Allen
Joseph M
JM
Weinfurt
Kevin P
KP
D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D019985:Benchmarking / Q000592:standards; D002309:Cardiology / Q000592:standards; D016265:Conflict of Interest; D003625:Data Collection; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000592:standards*; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*