[The National Program for disease management--guidelines under the auspices of the German Medical Association--a method report].

In March 2002, the German Medical Association established a National Programme for Disease Management Guidelines (DMG). This programme focuses on the development and implementation of consented key recommendations of German guidelines and evidence-based treatment recommendations for specific prioritized problems of health care issued by various organisations. Among other things, the aim is to ensure (1) that guidelines within a framework of structured care should not assume the character of directives; (2) that the evidence-based principles for structured care programmes be both scientifically accounted for and practicable and consider guidelines that have already proved to work; (3) that a consensus be obtained between the institutions of the medical self-governing bodies, the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF) and the relevant medical societies concerning the identification, updating and implementation of the key topics of structured care programmes: (4) that the outcomes of the German Guideline Clearinghouse be taken into consideration. The methodological foundations of this programme for disease management guidelines are outlined in the following method report.