Do guidelines create uniformity in medical practice?

This article aimed to test the general hypothesis that guidelines create uniformity, or reduce variation, in medical practice. Medical practice variation has policy interest and is one of the reasons for developing guidelines. The development and implementation of guidelines was considered in the broader context of processes of rationalization. We focused on the influence of voluntary guidelines developed by the professional organization for family physicians in the Netherlands on variation in drug prescription. Data were used from the First and Second Dutch National Survey of General Practice... Mehr ...