Long-Term Impact of EGUIDE Training on Facility-Wide Guideline Adherence Rate in Schizophrenia and Major Depressive Disorder: A Multicenter Study.

OBJECTIVE

The Effectiveness Research on the Dissemination and Education of Psychiatric Clinical Practice Guidelines (EGUIDE Project) was launched in Japan to promote guideline-adherent treatment for schizophrenia and major depressive disorder (MDD) through educational outreach programs. Although short-term effects on participating physicians have been reported, the long-term and facility-wide effects remain unclear. This study evaluated whether guideline-compliant treatment behaviors improved across institutions over time, indicating potential diffusion or spillover effects.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective observational study involving 298 psychiatric facilities between 2016 and 2023. Discharge prescriptions and treatment data were collected for 19 623 patients with schizophrenia and 9805 patients with MDD. Adherence to the guidelines was assessed using 11 schizophrenia quality indicators (QI-S) and seven MDD quality indicators (QI-D). We performed logistic regression analyses, adjusting for age, sex, and facility type, with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons.

RESULTS

For schizophrenia, significant year-on-year improvements were observed in seven of the 11 QI-S, including assessment of treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) diagnosis (from 42.2% to 62.5%), use of modified electroconvulsive therapy (mECT; from 6.1% to 11.8%), and nonprescription of anticholinergics (from 70.7% to 81.7%). For MDD, three of the seven QI-D showed improvement, including assessment of severity diagnosis (from 51.2% to 77.0%) and use of mECT (from 12.8% to 26.6%). Notably, the implementation of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) decreased. These findings suggest long-term behavioral changes across all facilities, extending even to nonparticipating clinicians.

CONCLUSION

The presence of EGUIDE-trained psychiatrists was associated with sustained improvements in guideline-compliant treatments at the institutional level. These results imply not only individual educational benefits but also a diffusion of practice culture-that is, a spillover effect-leading to enhanced quality of psychiatric care. Continued educational efforts are essential to improving treatment practices at scale.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: The protocol for the EGUIDE Project is registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network Registry (UMIN000022645).