Preconditions for successful guideline implementation: perceptions of oncology nurses

A qualitative study was used with focus group interviews. We collected data from 11 nurses with more than 5 years of oncology nursing experience in Japan. The data were analyzed using grounded theory.Results of the analysis identified "preconditions for successful guideline implementation" as a core category. There were 4 categories (goal congruence, equal partnership, professional self-development and user-friendliness) and 11 subcategories related to organizational, multidisciplinary, individual, and guideline levels.Although the guidelines were viewed as important, they were not fully implemented in practice. There are preconditions at the organizational, multidisciplinary, individual, and guideline levels that must be met if an organization is to successfully implement the guideline in clinical settings. Prioritizing strategies by focusing on these preconditions will help to facilitate successful guideline implementation.The search for evidence has been an integral part of nursing since Florence Nightingale [1]. With the growing momentum of evidence-based practices, nursing specialty organizations have been active in developing practice guidelines [2-4]. Such guidelines are effective evidence-based tools to assist users in making appropriate clinical decisions and improving patient care [5-7]. The government agencies also encourage organizations to use the guidelines to reduce the variation in healthcare services and to promote standardization across the healthcare sector [8].Another important aspect of meeting the diverse needs of cancer patients and their families is the team approach to multidisciplinary care [9,10]. The term "multidisciplinary" refers to a group of different disciplines, but the team concept is integral to the functioning of multidisciplinary care [11]. Xyrichis performed a concept analysis of teamwork, and suggested that the attributes of teamwork included concerted effort, interdependent collaboration and shared decision-making [12]. Multi