DOMINO PROJECT GUIDELINES FOR EXPERIMENTAL PRACTICE

The aim of this handbook of experimental guidelines is to level out analyses run during the "Domino project" on practices for sustainable management of organic apple orchard and vineyard in field condition

Clinical practice guidelines for the foot and ankle in rheumatoid arthritis: a critical appraisal

Background: Clinical practice guidelines are recommendations systematically developed to assist clinical decision-making and inform healthcare. In current rheumatoid arthritis (RA) guidelines, management of the foot and ankle is under-represented and the quality of recommendation is uncertain. This study aimed to identify and critically appraise clinical practice guidelines for foot and ankle management in RA. Methods: Guidelines were identified electronically and through hand searching. Search terms 'rheumatoid arthritis', 'clinical practice guidelines' and related synonyms were used. Critical appraisal and quality rating were conducted using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument. Results: Twenty-four guidelines were included. Five guidelines were high quality and recommended for use. Five high quality and seven low quality guidelines were recommended for use with modifications. Seven guidelines were low quality and not recommended for use. Five early and twelve established RA guidelines were recommended for use. Only two guidelines were foot and ankle specific. Five recommendation domains were identified in both early and established RA guidelines. These were multidisciplinary team care, foot healthcare access, foot health assessment/review, orthoses/insoles/splints, and therapeutic footwear. Established RA guidelines also had an 'other foot care treatments' domain. Conclusions: Foot and ankle management for RA features in many clinical practice guidelines recommended for use. Unfortunately, supporting evidence in the guidelines is low quality. Agreement levels are predominantly 'expert opinion' or 'good clinical practice'. More research investigating foot and ankle management for RA is needed prior to inclusion in clinical practice guidelines

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia in Australia: A step towards improving uptake of research findings in health and aged-care settings

This author accepted manuscript (post print) is made available following a 12 month embargo form date of publication (21 April 2016) in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

'How compliant do we want to be with the colonoscopy surveillance guidelines?'

Objective: To assess the referral practice for surveillance colonoscopy amongst clinicians and to measure whether practice was inline with the current Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland (ACPGBI) and the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) guidelines. Method: A questionnaire was sent to members of the ACPGBI. Results: A total of 195 (49%) clinicians responded, providing information on their referral habits with comments on where they deviated from the guidelines. Conclusions: The BSG and ACPGBI guidelines are well established amongst clinicians and generally accepted as best practice however the majority of clinicians deviate from the guidelines for particular clinical scenarios. In fact only 18% of respondents followed all recommendations for surveillance colonoscopy for patients with polyps, previous cancers and a family history

Practice Guidelines as Legal Standards Governing Physician Liability

The utility of medical practice guidelines in the law of medical malpractice was studied. Contrary to the views of most physicians and policy makers, practice guidelines should be allowed to evolve in a pluralistic fashion

Practice parameters for the treatment of colonic diverticular disease: Italian Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery (SICCR) guidelines

The mission of the Italian Society of Colorectal Surgery (SICCR) is to optimize patient care. Providing evidence-based practice guidelines is therefore of key importance. About the present report it concernes the SICCR practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of diverticular disease of the colon. The guidelines are not intended to define the sole standard of care but to provide evidence-based recommendations regarding the available therapeutic options

Professional Practice Guidelines for Occupationally Mandated Psychological Evaluations

Psychological evaluations are relied on by employers, professional licensing boards, and civil service commissions to make hiring and employment decisions affecting individuals, orga- nizations, and the public. To promote best practices, these professional practice guidelines were developed for use by psychologists who perform clinical evaluations of individuals for occupational purposes, regardless of whether the evaluation is intended to obtain employ- ment, to achieve licensure/certification, or to maintain either. These guidelines were created by the Committee on Professional Practice and Standards (COPPS) to educate and inform the practice of psychologists who conduct occupationally mandated psychological evaluations (OMPEs), as well as to stimulate debate and research in this important area

Traction for low back pain, the evidence is flawed : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters of Health Science (MHlthSci) in Environmental Health at Massey University Campus, Wellington, New Zealand

Research suggests the burden of low back pain is growing despite recent advances in investigative technology and the explosion in research. Evidence based practice is necessary within physiotherapy. However, the best evidence component must be clinically appropriate, accurate, and grounded within pertinent research. The selection of participants and the methodological designs of the studies must be appropriate to provide results valid to everyday clinical practice. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses consider primary research to critically analyse research questions, and formulate scientific conclusions on the efficacy of interventions. These research derived conclusions then inform clinical practice guidelines which are envisioned to improve clinical practice. These guidelines are also utilised by educational facilities to flavour their curriculum, and by insurance and governmental policy writers in accrediting specific interventions. Information from today will dictate the beliefs, attitudes, and practices of future graduates, and determine approved treatment options. The reported negative conclusions on the efficacy of traction as an intervention for low back pain have resulted in traction no longer being recommended within clinical practice guidelines, any remaining sporadic use questioned by professional colleagues and policy writers, and it no longer taught at undergraduate level. This is despite its long history, popularity amongst some practitioners, anecdotal evidence supporting its use in the clinical setting, and its demonstrable effects in scientific studies. This masters project argues that the cause of the disparity lies within incongruous study designs, which are not valid to clinical practice. Specifically, caused by the misappropriation of historical definitions and classifications vis-à-vis low back pain cohorts. This has resulted in substantial heterogeneity within study populations themselves, both between groups and between studies, which along with other methodological flaws and inappropriate reporting, has given rise to unwarranted conclusions. These fundamental errors have made the conclusions of scientific trials, systematic reviews, and clinical practice guidelines erroneous, and inapplicable to everyday clinical practice. The ‘evidence based’ recommendations of th

Science, Politics, and Values: The Politicization of Professional Practice Guidelines

The Connecticut Attorney General’s recent allegations that the Infectious Disease Society of America violated antitrust law through its treatment guidelines for Lyme disease were neither based in sound science or appropriate legal judgment. Strong scientific evidence favors IDSA’s position that chronic infection with the etiologic agent of Lyme disease does not occur in the absence of objective signs of ongoing infection and that long-term antibiotic use to treat dubious infection, recommended in the quasi-scientific guidelines put forth by the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS), are of no benefit. In siding with ILADS and other chronic Lyme disease advocates, ultimately forcing IDSA to settle lest it expend exorbitant legal costs, the attorney general abused science and his public trust. This case exemplifies the politicization of health policy and confuses the relative spheres inhabited by normative discourse and scientific inquiry. Science should provide the evidentiary base for normative discussions, and values and politics will always be important in deciding how science is applied for human benefit. But a wall of separation is needed between science, values, and politics, as medical science, and the patients who depend on it, is too important for political distortion