[Health services research and guidelines--from the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies' (AWMF) perspective]

Abstract

The Association of the Scientific Medical Societies (AWMF, Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften) is an umbrella organization. It currently represents 151 scientific societies and thus the majority of medical researchers in Germany. Through the coordination and support of the scientific medical societies, the AWMF significantly contributes to health services research by establishing guidelines that ensure a high quality of healthcare. To this purpose, AWMF founded a guideline committee in 1995, whose objective is to assist AWMF member societies in the establishment of guidelines, the organization of training sessions for AWMF guideline representatives, the hosting of regular guideline conferences and the close cooperation with the German Medical Association (Bundesärztekammer, BAK) and the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung, KBV) in the development of national disease management guidelines (Nationale Versorgungs Leitlinien, NVL). Together with the Agency for Quality in Medicine [AQuMed; Arztliches Zentrum für Qualität in der Medizin (AZQ)], AWMF published a 'German Instrument for Methodological Guideline Appraisal' ('Deutsches Instrument zur methodischen Leitlinien-Bewertung', DELBI) in order to assure the quality of the guideline development process. A close cooperation has also developed between AWMF and the German Medical Association within the scope of their program for promoting health services research and with the Board of the German Network for Health Services Research (Deutsches Netzwerk for Versorgungsforschung, DNVF). Furthermore, AMWF has acknowledged a special need for improving the financial and conceptual promotion of a systematic evaluation of guideline development and the implementation and application of guidelines in everyday clinical practice.