Implementing the clinical standards of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) bipolar clinical guideline

Abstract

In the UK, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) sets standards for interventions to drive improvement in the quality of services delivered. The actual update of clinical guidelines remains patchy and difficult to ascertain.NICE most recent guideline on the management of bipolar disorder in adults will be reviewed. A concept tool to facilitate adherence to NICE clinical standards will be presented along with detailed outcomes of its pilot application in a naturalistic treatment setting, which drove the average concordance from 32% for a team providing treatment as usual, to 92% for a team supporting their practice with the tool. This presentation will also address additional impacts of its use including allowing drawing key clinical characteristics of an index population of individuals suffering from bipolar disorder, supporting education and auditing the actual service delivery.The usefulness of the tool to shape clinical practice according to NICE evidence-based standards will be outlined. Its versatility and limitations will be debated. The discussion of the findings will include epidemiological considerations as well as implications for mental and physical well-being.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.