title: Impact of Asia-Pacific guidelines on gastric cancer and Helicobacter pylori infection on prevailing clinical practices.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the impact of the Asia-Pacific guidelines on gastric cancer prevention and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection on clinical practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  An electronic survey was carried out among Asian Pacific Digestive Week (APDW) medical delegates in 2012. The survey questionnaire captured details such as participants' characteristics, their awareness of the guidelines and knowledge of the key guideline recommendations, the impact of the guidelines on individual practice and on national policies and the sources of medical information that the individual used to make clinical decisions. A total of 1372 APDW medical delegates were invited via email to participate in the electronic survey and 432 (31.5%) responded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the respondents, 57.6% were familiar with at least one of the guidelines. Among those familiar with the guidelines, 85.9% believed that they influenced their clinical practice. More than half (64.9%) reported that the guidelines clarified treatment indications for them. In terms of knowledge content, 85.0% of the participants provided correct responses to at least four of the six questions on understanding. More than half (52.7%) of the participants felt that the guidelines had made an impact on national policies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Asia-Pacific guidelines on gastric cancer and H. pylori had a positive impact on individual clinical practice and national policies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Changi General Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: Tiing Leong
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Ang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Changi General Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: Kwong Ming
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Fock
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Changi General Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: Malcolm Teck Kiang
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Singapore Clinical Research Institute, Singapore.
authors.forename: Pryseley Nkouibert
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Assam
authors.affiliation: Singapore Clinical Research Institute, Singapore.
authors.forename: Edwin Shih-Yen
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001208:Asia; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006291:Health Policy; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards; D008875:Middle Aged; D010139:Pacific Islands; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents
keywords: Helicobacter pylori; gastric neoplasms; guideline