ADDRESSING ISSUES OF FACE VALIDITY IN THE APPLICATION OF A CLINICAL GUIDELINE

In 1995, a statewide project to improve the practice of electroconvuls ive therapy (ECT) in the Medicare population was started in Louisiana. A retrospective baseline study found high concurrent utilitarian of l ithium and benzodiazepines, medications considered detrimental to ECT by the second American Psychiatric Association Task Farce on ECT Resis tance to a clinical guideline because of lack efface validity by clini cians was used as an opportunity to involve clinicians in using data t o evaluate their clinical practices. Results of the first two quarters of the project demonstrated that the strategy was successful.