scholarly journals Evaluation of clinical practice guidelines (CPG) on the management of female chronic pelvic pain (CPP) using the AGREE II instrument

Author(s):  
Vishalli Ghai ◽  
Venkatesh Subramanian ◽  
Haider Jan ◽  
Jemina Loganathan ◽  
Stergios K. Doumouchtsis ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction and hypothesis Variations in guidelines may result in differences in treatments and potentially poorer health-related outcomes. We aimed to systematically review and evaluate the quality of national and international guidelines and create an inventory of CPG recommendations on CPP. Methods We searched EMBASE and MEDLINE databases from inception till August 2020 as well as websites of professional organizations and societies. We selected national and international CPGs reporting on the diagnosis and management of female CPP. We included six CPGs. Five researchers independently assessed the quality of included guidelines using the AGREE II tool and extracted recommendations. Results Two hundred thirty-two recommendations were recorded and grouped into six categories: diagnosis, medical treatment, surgical management, behavioural interventions, complementary/alternative therapies and education/research. Thirty-nine (17.11%) recommendations were comparable including: a comprehensive pain history, a multi-disciplinary approach, attributing muscular dysfunction as a cause of CPP and an assessment of quality of life. Two guidelines acknowledged sexual dysfunction associated with CPP and recommended treatment with pelvic floor exercises and behavioural interventions. All guidelines recommended surgical management; however, there was no consensus regarding adhesiolysis, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy during hysterectomy, neurectomy and laparoscopic uterosacral nerve ablation. Half of recommendations (106, 46.49%) were unreferenced or made in absence of good-quality evidence or supported by expert opinion. Based on the AGREE II assessment, two guidelines were graded as high quality and recommended without modifications (EAU and RCOG). Guidelines performed poorly in the “Applicability”, “Editorial Independence” and “Stakeholder Involvement” domains. Conclusion Majority of guidelines were of moderate quality with significant variation in recommendations and quality of guideline development.

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (10) ◽  
pp. 1426-1437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew C Don-Wauchope ◽  
John L Sievenpiper ◽  
Stephen A Hill ◽  
Alfonso Iorio

Abstract BACKGROUND Laboratory medicine practice guidelines (LMPGs) are an important part of clinical laboratory medicine. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument has been developed to evaluate the process of practice-guideline development and the quality of reporting. We assessed the applicability of AGREE II in assessing the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (NACB) LMPGs. METHODS The NACB website was searched for all available LMPGs up to December 2011. Two independent appraisers used the AGREE II instrument to assess each LMPG identified by the search. Quality was assessed across 6 domains (scope and purpose, stakeholder involvement, rigor of development, clarity of presentation, applicability, and editorial independence), comprising a total of 23 items and 2 overall assessments, each scored on a 7-point scale (1, strongly disagree, to 7, strongly agree). All scores were expressed as AGREE II calculated percentages (100% indicates that all items scored 7 by all appraisers). RESULTS Eleven LMPGs were identified. All of the LMPGs provided some information seen as applicable to clinical practice by the appraisers. Only 5 of the LMPGs had overall scores ≥50%, with a median score of 42% (range: 8%–92%). Individual domain scores varied considerably from 0% to 100%. One guideline achieved a very high score on the instrument. CONCLUSIONS The AGREE II instrument is applicable and useful to evaluate LMPGs. All domains were evaluated as being useful to assess LMPGs, some were addressed well (e.g., clarity of presentation), whereas others could be improved (e.g., applicability).


2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Cardoso dos Reis ◽  
Sonia Regina Lambert Passos ◽  
Maria Angelica Borges dos Santos

There are various guidelines for the treatment of obesity, and thus the quality of these clinical guidelines has become a matter of concern. The objective was to describe and assess the quality of clinical guidelines for treatment of obesity in adults. We collected several studies, dated from 1998 to 2016, produced by different countries. The literature search included the National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC), Guidelines International Network (GIN), PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus, Web of Science, webpages of health institutions from different countries, and search sites, with the criterion: “clinical guidelines for treatment of obesity in adults and published until the 2016”. The guidelines were assessed with the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation (AGREE II), according to the domains of the instrument. The search identified 21 guidelines: nine from Europe, six from North America, three from Latin America, and one each from Asia and Oceania and a transnational association. The Australian guideline had the best assessment. Of the six guidelines with the highest scores, five had been elaborated by the government sector responsible for the country’s health. The domains “scope and purpose” and “clarity of presentation” had the highest score. Except for the Canadian guideline, the three guidelines drafted before the elaboration of AGREE II had the worst quality. In the domain “stakeholder involvement”, only four guidelines (Australia, Scotland, France, and England) mentioned patient participation. Guideline development and quality enhancement are ongoing processes requiring systematic appraisal of the guideline production process and existing guidelines.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahin Salarvand ◽  
Simin Hemati ◽  
Payman Adibi ◽  
Fariba Taleghani

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a common adverse effect occurring in patients undergoing neurotoxic chemotherapy. However, there is no FDA-approved treatment option for it. Given the importance of clinical practice guidelines in this area, this study aimed to determine the methodological quality of extant CIPN guidelines. The study was done as part of the adaptation process of CIPN related CPGs at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. A systematic search of published CPGs about chemotherapy-induced CIPN in which the AGREE II instrument was applied for appraising CPGs of CIPN was performed. In general, amongst all of the AGREE II Instrument’s domains in the evaluated CPGs, the clarity of presentation and stakeholder involvement domains took favorable scores; and other domains obtained unfavorable and relatively favorable scores. The quality of cancer therapy-induced neuropathy CPGs needs to be improved and designing high-quality CPGs must be considered.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peihan Xie ◽  
Xiaodong Zhuang ◽  
Menghui Liu ◽  
Shaozhao Zhang ◽  
Jia Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundEchocardiography (echo) is the primary imaging modality for infective endocarditis (IE). However, the recommendations on timing and mode selection for transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) vary across guidelines, which can be confusing for clinical decision makers. In this case, we aim to appraise the quality of recommendations by appraising the quality of various guidelines.MethodsA search of guidelines containing recommendations for the appropriate use of echo in adult IE patients published in English between 2007 and 2019 was conducted. The APPRAISAL OF GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH & EVALUATION II (AGREE II) instrument was applied independently by two reviewers to assess the integrated quality of the identified guidelines. The recommendations of concern are extracted from related chapters.ResultsA total of 9 guidelines met the criteria, with AGREE II scores ranging from 36% to 79%, and the domain of “stakeholder involvement” received the lowest score. The most contentious issue is whether a follow-up TEE is mandatory in uncomplicated native valve IE with an initial positive TTE. Conflicting recommendations are presented with a low evidence level based on little evidence.ConclusionsIn general, the recommendations proposed in the 9 identified guidelines on the appropriate use of echo are satisfying. The guideline quality score can be taken into account by the clinicians when evaluating the recommendations for clinical decisions. Additional studies with high evidence level should be conducted on the most controversial issues of whether a subsequent TEE is mandatory in uncomplicated native valve IE with an initial positive TTE.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ning Liang ◽  
Sizhan Wu ◽  
Simon Roberts ◽  
Navnit Makaram ◽  
James Reeves Mbori Ngwayi ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Introduction Spinal cord injuries (SCI) in military personnel, veterans, and others require an evidence-based, multidisciplinary approach to their care. This appraisal used the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument to evaluate the methodological quality of clinical guidelines for the management of SCI published by the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) organization. Materials and Methods We searched clinical guidelines on SCI published by PVA until December 2019. Four appraisers across three international centers independently evaluated the quality of eligible clinical guidelines using AGREE II. Mean AGREE II scores for each domain were calculated. In higher quality domains, scores for individual items were analyzed. Results A total of 12 guidelines published by PVA on SCI were assessed. Mean scores for all six domains were as follows: Scope and Purpose (78.8%), Stakeholder Involvement (63.7%), Rigor of Development (68.4%), Clarity of Presentation (80.1%), Applicability (53.0%), and Editorial Independence (28.5%). The mean score for the overall quality of all PVA guidelines was 71.9% (95% CI: 69.7–74.1). No guideline was assessed as “not recommended” by any appraiser. Overall quality was significantly associated with year of publication (rs = 0.754, P = 0.0046). Overall agreement among appraisers was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficients for each guideline ranged from 0.96 to 0.99). Conclusions PVA guidelines for the management of SCI demonstrated acceptable or good quality across most domains. We recommend the use of PVA guidelines for the assessment and treatment of SCI and related disorders. The quality of PVA guidelines for the management of SCI have improved over time.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. e039897
Author(s):  
Wen-Yi Luo ◽  
Ji-Wen Sun ◽  
Wen-Lan Zhang ◽  
Qian Li ◽  
Ping Ni ◽  
...  

ObjectivesRelevant guidelines and consensuses for COVID-19 contain recommendations aimed at optimising the management in paediatric wards. The goal of this study was to determine the quality of those recommendations and provide suggestions to hospital managers for the adjustment of existing hospital prevention and control strategies, and also to offer recommendations for further research.DesignA rapid review of the guidelines and consensuses for the management in paediatric wards facing COVID-19.MethodsPubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, UpToDate, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, the Wanfang database and relevant websites such as medlive.cn, dxy.cn, the National Health and Health Commission and the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention were systematically searched through late May 2020. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) tool was then used to assess the quality of the selected articles and summarise the relevant evidence concerning management in paediatric wards.ResultsA total of 35 articles were included, composed of 3 consensus guidelines, 25 expert consensuses and 7 expert opinions. Of the 35 papers, 24 were from China, 2 from the USA, 1 from Spain, 1 from Brazil, 1 from Saudi Arabia and 6 from multinational cooperative studies. Scores for the six domains of the AGREE II tool (scope and purpose, stakeholder involvement, rigour of development, clarity of presentation, applicability and editorial independence) were 98.57%, 53.57%, 17.92%, 69.62%, 26.96% and 50.35%, respectively. Recommendations for nosocomial infection and control, human resource management as well as management of paediatric patients and their families were summarised.ConclusionsDue to the outbreak of COVID-19, the quality of rapid guidelines and consensuses for the management in paediatric wards affected by COVID-19 is unsatisfactory. In the future, it will be necessary to develop more high-quality guidelines or consensuses for the management in paediatric wards to deal with nosocomial outbreaks in order to fully prepare for emergency medical and health problems.


2015 ◽  
Vol 100 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Y. Lam ◽  
Biniam Kidane ◽  
Farouq Manji ◽  
Brian M. Taylor

Abstract Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common of the functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs). Despite its prevalence and health-care costs, there are few effective therapies for patients with severe symptoms. Our objective was to determine whether surgical management would improve health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in severe refractory constipation-dominant FGIDs. From 2003 to 2005, 6 patients underwent total colectomy with end ileostomy or primary anastomosis. They completed Short Form 36 (SF-36) and IBS-36 questionnaires preoperatively and postoperatively. HRQOL was compared with age- and sex-matched Canadian norms using Welch's unpaired t test. Preoperative SF-36 physical and mental health summary scores were significantly lower than Canadian norms (P < 0.0001), while postoperative scores were not significantly different than Canadian norms (P = 0.50 and P = 0.57, respectively). After surgical management, HRQOL in patients with severe constipation-dominant IBS improved from drastically below that of Canadian norms to a comparable level. This finding questions the convention of avoiding operations in IBS patients and demonstrates that surgical management may be suitable for the appropriately screened patient.


2013 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Arevalo-Rodriguez ◽  
Olga L. Pedraza ◽  
Andrea Rodríguez ◽  
Erick Sánchez ◽  
Ignasi Gich ◽  
...  

Alzheimer’s disease dementia (AD dementia) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases worldwide, with a growing incidence during the last decades. Clinical diagnosis of cognitive impairment and presence of AD biomarkers have become important issues for early and adequate treatment. We performed a systematic literature search and quality appraisal of AD dementia guidelines, published between 2005 and 2011, which contained diagnostic recommendations on AD dementia. We also analyzed diagnostic recommendations related to the use of brief cognitive tests, neuropsychological evaluation, and AD biomarkers. Of the 537 retrieved references, 15 met the selection criteria. We found that Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation (AGREE)-II domains such as applicability and editorial independence had the lowest scores. The wide variability on assessment of quality of evidence and strength of recommendations were the main concerns identified regarding diagnostic testing. Although the appropriate methodology for clinical practice guideline development is well known, the quality of diagnostic AD dementia guidelines can be significantly improved.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Lipworth ◽  
Ishmeala Rigby ◽  
Vincent Cheng ◽  
Peter Bannister ◽  
Eli Harriss ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the responsiveness and quality of clinical management guidelines (CMGs) in SARS, MERS and COVID-19 and determine whether this has improved over time.DesignRapid literature review, quality assessment and focus group consultation.Data Sources– Google and Google Scholar were systematically searched from inception to 6th June 2020.This was supplemented with hand searches of national and international public health agency and infectious disease society websites as well as directly approaching clinical networks in regions where few CMGs had been identified via the primary search.Eligibility CriteriaCMGs for the treatment of COVID-19/SARS/MERS providing recommendations on supportive care and/or specific treatment.MethodsData extraction was performed using a standardised form. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE-II) tool was used to evaluate the quality of the CMGs. Six COVID-19 treatments were selected to assess the responsiveness of a subset of guidelines and their updates to 20th November 2020. We ran two sessions of focus groups with patient advocates to elicit their views on guideline development.ResultsWe included 37 COVID-19, six SARS, and four MERS CMGs. Evidence appraisals in CMGs generally focused on novel drugs rather than basic supportive care; where evidence for the latter was provided it was generally of a low quality. Most CMGs had major methodological flaws (only two MERS-CoV and four COVID-19 CMGs were recommended for use by both reviewers without modification) and there was no evidence of improvement in quality over time. CMGs scored lowest in the following AGREE-II domains: scope and purpose, editorial independence, stakeholder engagement, and rigour of development. Of the COVID-19 CMGs, only eight included specific guidance for the management of elderly patients and only ten for high-risk groups; a further eight did not specify the target patient group at all. Early in the pandemic, multiple guidelines recommended unproven treatments and whilst in general findings of major clinical trials were eventually adopted, this was not universally the case. Eight guidelines recommended that use of unproven agents should be considered on a case-by-case basis. Patient representatives expressed concern about the lack of engagement with them in CMG development and that these documents are not accessible to non-experts.ConclusionThe quality of most CMGs produced in coronaviridae outbreaks is poor and we have found no evidence of improvement over time, highlighting that current development frameworks must be improved. There is an need to strengthen the evidence base surrounding basic supportive care and develop methods to engage patients in CMG development from the beginning in outbreak settings.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42020167361


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