Implementation of the Asthma Practice Guideline in the Army Medical Department

Can the Army effectively implement clinical treatment guidelines in its military treatment facilities to achieve consistent and high-quality practices throughout its health system? This is a 450-character abstract. In partnership with the Army Medical Department, RAND worked to implement clinical practice guidelines. This report evaluates the asthma guideline demonstration. It documents the actions, assesses effects, and measures the quality and limitations of data for monitoring outcomes. The authors found that the implementation scored successes but resource limitations and organizational barriers curbed progress. They conclude that flexibility, monitoring, and training are the keys to implementing the guidelines. They also found that patient education needed improvement.