The following list enumerates the methods of implementation and dissemination of clinical practice guidelines that are commonly used (Grimshaw et al. 2004; Wensing, van der Weijden & Grol 1998). The discussion in this chapter considers the strengths and weaknesses of each of these methods, this discussion is important because strategies were formulated for dissemination of the maternity care guidelines by the National Department of Health in South Africa, and these chosen strategies must be compared to the known available dissemination and implementation methods.
Distribution of educational material;
Educational outreach;
Local opinion leader-led methods;
Practice audit and feedback;
Educational meetings;
Computerised decision-support systems (reminder and alerts systems); and
Internet-based methods.
These are meetings of health care providers which take place in the practice setting. They may be one-on-one or may involve multiple participants. They are always conducted by a suitably trained person who uses the visits to educate and inform participants about new knowledge. After distribution of educational material, this was the next most commonly used method of dissemination of clinical practice guidelines in the literature (Grimshaw et al 2004; Wensing, van der Weijden & Grol 1998).