Selection of workers' compensation treatment guidelines: California experience.
OBJECTIVE
Workers' compensation systems increasingly use mandatory treatment guidelines to guide clinicians and for utilization management. This article describes the steps for selecting such guidelines.


METHODS
On the basis of experience with the RAND/University of California, Los Angeles project to help California select guidelines, we identified the necessary choices and processes for guideline selection and evaluation.


RESULTS
Major steps in guideline selection include: 1) define purpose; 2) assign decision-making authority; 3) decide whether to use existing guidelines or develop new ones; 4) choose whether to use one or multiple existing guidelines; 5) specify clinical topics that guidelines should address; 6) identify and screen guidelines; 7) evaluate guidelines; 8) consider implications of results; 9) select guideline(s); 10) disseminate selection; and 11) assess long-term effectiveness.


CONCLUSIONS
Given the many choices required, selecting mandatory workers' compensation guidelines should involve careful planning and a transparent, well-defined process.
Harber
Philip
P
Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, Calif, USA. pharber@mednet.ucla.edu
Wynn
Barbara O
BO
Lim
Yee-Wei
YW
Mattke
Soeren
S
Asch
Steven M
SM
Nuckols
Teryl K
TK
D002140:California; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003657:Decision Making; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D009787:Occupational Medicine / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012955:Societies, Medical; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000458:organization & administration*