[Developing better practices].

Abstract

This editorial consists in a review of the literature describing the expansion of the movement promoting "Best practices." Still partly unknown among practitioners, this movement is nevertheless sufficiently important to warrant a literature review, all the more so given the French language literature on the subject is practically inexistant. After formulating an economic and political hypothesis explaining their emergence, the article describes the principal models underlying their development: the evidence-based model as well the expert-consensus model. The author then suggests two ways of presenting best practices in order to facilitate their use: guidelines and algorithms, as well as interventions favoring their expansion with practitioners and administrators. The author concludes with a critical analysis of this approach.