Explanation of quality standards
Clinical guidelines, standards of care and generic standards are all ‘practice guidelines’. According to the definition of the Healthcare Institute in the Netherlands, a practice guideline describes in general terms what we define as good healthcare from a patients point of view. These practice guidelines are based on the most actual knowledge, which includes scientific knowledge as well as practice based knowledge and patient preferences.
A standard of care describes in general terms from the perspective of the patient what good care is for people with a certain mental disorder during the entire care continuum or the patient journey (early detection and prevention, diagnostic assessment and monitoring, treatment and recovery, re-integration an participation). A standard of care sets the (national) standard that multidisciplinary, integrated care for mental disorders must meet. In addition, the standard of care states what the patient can expect, not only concerning medication and psychosocial treatment, but also when it comes to societal participation, help in the community and the organization of care. A standard of care describes for all parties in the mental health care system what is necessary in the care process.
Where a standard of care relates to one specific mental disorder, a generic standard describes healthcare components or healthcare topics that are relevant to multiple mental disorders. For example, topics such as self-management, support for relatives, and participation in labour or other activities. A generic standard describes care in different phases of the care process.
A single standard of care may be based on multiple clinical guidelines and can refer to other relevant clinical guidelines. So, standards of care and generic standards are based on existing clinical guidelines but also on new scientific evidence, practice based knowledge and patients preferences. These standards and the underlying guidelines thus form an integral document that enables the care provider and the patient to become acquainted with the intended content and the organization of the care process; and subsequently to assess its practical application.
The following principles have been applied in the development of practice guidelines for mental health care in the Netherlands: