Evaluation of clinical guideline implementations for cardiovascular diseases by German general practitioners—Results of a web-based survey

Background: Clinical guidelines are intended to improve the quality of medical care. The aim of this survey was to record the concrete implementation of guidelines in practice and criteria for their implementation in Germany. Materials and methods: Using a web-based questionnaire developed with medical scientific societies and uzbonn, general practitioners were able to participate anonymously in the survey between July 1, 2024, and October 31, 2024. Data were statistically evaluated using descriptive methods. Results: Four hundred thirty-seven physicians participated in the survey. 74.1% frequently implement guideline recommendations, 13.3% always, 11.2% rarely, and 1.4% never. 67.3% consider the guidelines to be too extensive. 71.6% regularly inform themselves about guideline updates. Motivators include a high recommendation rate (86.4%), recommending scientific society (78.7%), and discussion in medical training events (85.6%). The highest attention is given to National Care Guidelines (Nationale VersorgungsLeitlinie, NVL) 71.2% and guidelines of national scientific societies (65.4%). Barriers include the extent (67.3%), lack of practical relevance (51.5%), time required (47.2%), differing recommendations between various guidelines (46%), and uncertainty about validity (45.9%). Supportive measures would be a summary of essential content (98%), pocket guidelines from scientific societies (84.2%), discussions in quality circles (76.4%), and brief information in German medical journals (73.2%). Conclusion: Clinical guideline recommendations are highly accepted in everyday practice, especially the German NVL. The extent, lack of practical relevance, time required, discrepancies in recommendations, and differences in validity are significant barriers. Summaries of essential recommendations, pocket guidelines, and regular publications in medical journals could help increase application of clinical guidelines in practice.