What is "Guideline Adherence Rate"?▶日本語
Guideline Adherence Rate" allows for the individual assessment of whether a patient's treatment aligns with the guidelines for pharmacological therapy. In actual clinical settings, psychiatrists can objectively review their own treatment decisions and share these evaluations with patients. As a result, "Guideline Adherence Rate" is intended to be effectively utilized to support smooth shared decision-making, enabling physicians and patients to collaboratively refine treatment plans.
The introduction of "Guideline Adherence Rate" is expected to bring multiple benefits. First, it enhances treatment quality. Physicians will be more conscious of referring to treatment guidelines, and patients will become more aware of what constitutes high-quality care, encouraging them to engage more actively in their treatment. As a result, evidence-based, high-quality treatment will be more widely practiced. Furthermore, implementing "Guideline Adherence Rate" at the hospital level can contribute to the standardization and consistency of psychiatric treatment across medical institutions.
However, there are some important considerations regarding "Guideline Adherence Rate." The most crucial point is that "Guideline Adherence Rate" is merely a reference value, not an absolute standard. In real clinical practice, patients' circumstances vary, such as the presence of comorbidities, which may make non-guideline treatments the optimal choice. Additionally, as "Guideline Adherence Rate" focuses on evaluating pharmacological therapy, it may not fully capture the importance of non-pharmacological treatments such as psychosocial interventions.
"Guideline Adherence Rate" is a new indicator designed to improve the quality of psychiatric treatment. By promoting standardized treatments, it enables more patients to receive appropriate care. At the same time, it is essential to use "Guideline Adherence Rate" flexibly while respecting the unique characteristics and preferences of individual patients.
Furthermore, several studies using "Guideline Adherence Rate" have revealed associations with various clinical outcomes in patients with schizophrenia.
- A negative correlation between "Guideline Adherence Rate" and psychiatric symptoms in patients with schizophrenia (Kodaka et al., 2023).
- A positive correlation between "Guideline Adherence Rate" and working hours (Ito et al., 2023). ＊Although patients with schizophrenia often present with severe psychiatric symptoms, this study found that a higher "Guideline Adherence Rate" was associated with milder symptoms.
- A positive correlation between "Guideline Adherence Rate" and memory function (Kawamata et al., 2025). ＊Although patients with schizophrenia typically exhibit cognitive impairments, including memory deficits, compared to healthy individuals, this study found that a higher "Guideline Adherence Rate" was associated with better memory function.
＊By clicking the link, you can access the original article of each study.
