Implications of practice parameters (guidelines).

Practice parameters (guidelines) have been developed for many years. The first such parameter, developed by a Joint Task Force of the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology, and the American College of Allergy and Immunology, was on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with asthma. It was sent in notebook form to members of the Academy and College in 1993. An updated version will be published as a supplement to the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology sometime in 1995. Although the overriding consideration in the development of these parameters is to improve the level of care for patients, and by doing so to decrease asthma morbidity and mortality, recent guidelines have also emphasized cost factors, especially those that are now being developed by managed care organizations. Practice parameters can also reduce malpractice liability, and studies have even shown a reduction in hospital admissions by instituting relatively simple measures of patient behavior. There is no doubt that practice parameters will become an important part of our everyday life.