Guidelines for Policy Statements: the Explicit Approach

THE FIRST obligation of a policymaker is to design a policy that, if accepted and applied correctly, will improve patients' lives. The second obligation is to present the policy in a way that ensures it will be accepted and applied correctly. The first obligation is addressed through the choice of methods for designing a policy.1The second obligation is addressed through the policy statement. Objectives The objectives for policy statements are similar to the objectives for methods: accuracy, accountability, predictability, defensibility, and usability.1The pertinence of these objectives to policy statements can be appreciated by viewing the policy statement from the perspective of the people who will be affected by it—practitioners, patients, and payers. Begin with the primary audience of a policy statement— practitioners. The purpose of a practice policy is to modify the behavior of practitioners to steer their decisions toward actions that the policymakers consider desirable.