Background
The Institute of Medicine defines clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) as: "…systematically developed statements to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate health care services for specific clinical circumstances." DoD has made it a priority to implement evidence-based CPGs as a means of improving and standardizing the quality of care provided to its beneficiaries. Since 1988 the VA and DoD have worked together to adapt internationally recognized CPGs to meet the requirements of the military and veterans healthcare systems. A VA/DoD Working Group chooses the guidelines based on readiness needs of the military as well as the high-volume, high-cost health conditions treated in the medical treatment facilities. The guidelines have been developed by multi-disciplinary representatives from the DoD; the Army, Navy, Air Force; and the Veterans Health Administration. Supporting material, including tool kits and metrics, also has been developed to assist providers in implementing the CPGs.
Who Is Responsible for CPG Policies and Dissemination?
- Command Level
- Medical Treatment Facility Level
Army - Quality Management/Utilization Management
Air Force - Health Care Integrators (HCIs)
Navy - Determined locally
To assist in implementation of practice guidelines, DoD developed the following manuals:
Among the VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guidelines, the CPGs most closely related to deployment concerns are:
All of the VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guidelines, including those listed above related to deployment, may be found on the Veterans Health Administration's Office of Quality and Performance Web site. Since the Army serves as DoD's lead for all clinical practice guideline initiatives, the US Army Medical Command Quality Management Office maintains a Web site with CPG material. This Web site also provides an on-line ordering system for CPG Tool Kits and their contents.
Table of Contents. The following PDHealth Web pages have been developed to provide information, guidance, and related links on the deployment-related VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guidelines.
- Deployment-Related Clinical Practice Guidelines
- Education and Training
- Online Tutorial, Putting Clinical Practice Guidelines to Work (This Web site is an electronic version of the manual, "Putting Clinical Practice Guidelines to Work in the Department of Veterans Affairs: A Guide for Action," adapted by the Department of Veterans Affairs Clinical Practice Guidelines Implementation and Education Task Force.)
- PowerPoint Presentation entitled "The Role of Deployment-Related Clinical Practice Guidelines in Primary Care" dated 2 Nov 08.
- Evidence-Based Clinical Guidelines Swank HealthCare On-Line Training Course, 1 Feb 07 (The purpose of this program is to increase awareness of VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guidelines; provide rationale and framework for the incorporation of evidence-based protocols into clinical practice; improve quality and uniformity of care provided by hospital professionals, DoD personnel and VA medical facilities; facilitate clinician's ability to identify clinical areas of concern and to make appropriate changes.
- Research
- Complete list of VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guidelines
Instructions on locating the DoD/VA guidelines on the MEDCOM Website:
In the top left-hand corner of the web page is a tab labeled "Menu". Place cursor over the tab to view menu options.
