The guideline "consultation psychiatry" of the Netherlands Psychiatric Association.

Background: In 2008, the Netherlands Psychiatric Association authorized a guideline "consultation psychiatry."

Aim: To set a standard for psychiatric consultations in nonpsychiatric settings. The main objective of the guideline is to answer three questions: Is psychiatric consultation effective and, if so, which forms are most effective? How should a psychiatric consultations be performed? What increases adherence to recommendations given by the consulting psychiatrist?

Method: Systematic literature review.

Guideline development.

During the last decade many countries have become increasingly interested in the development and use of evidence-based practice guidelines, recognising that guidelines are key tools to improve the quality and appropriateness of health care. They are considered to be the ideal mediator for bridging the gap between the growing stream of research findings and actual clinical practice. Systematic reviews of guideline evaluations have shown that clinical practice guidelines can be an effective means of both changing the process of healthcare delivery and improving outcomes.

[Guideline 'Diagnosis and treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome'].

--Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most frequently encountered peripheral nerve entrapment: about 10% of adult women and less than 1% of adult men in the Netherlands have a clinically and electrophysiologically confirmed CTS. --All medical and paramedical disciplines involved in the diagnosis and treatment of CTS in the Netherlands contributed to the development of a guideline for the diagnosis and treatment ofCTS. --Clinical diagnosis of CTS is based on a history of nocturnal pins and needles, numbeness and/or pain in the median nerve innervated area of the fingers and hand, which often causes the patient to awake.

[Relationship between volume and quality of care for surgical interventions; results of a literature review].

Objective: To examine the relationship between the number of procedures performed per hospital or per surgeon and health care outcomes.

Design: Literature review.

Method: Relevant literature was identified using recent systematic reviews from Germany, England, France and the United States.

[The guideline 'Psychiatric evaluation in adults'].

Psychiatric evaluation is defined as a systematic evaluation of the causes, the symptoms, the course and the consequences of a psychiatric disorder in order to formulate a diagnosis and a treatment plan, and to answer any questions the patient or referring specialist may have. The main components of a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation are the patient interview and observations of the patient's behaviour. The comprehensiveness of the psychiatric evaluation is affected by contextual, patient-related and situational factors.