Objective To evaluate the quality of Chinese clinical practice guidelines published in domestic medical journals in 2011. Methods The following 4 Chinese databases including WanFang Data, VIP, CNKI and CBM were searched from January 2011 to December 2011. The quality of included guidelines was assessed by using AGREE II. Results A total of 75 guidelines published in 2011 were included. Among them, 10 guidelines (13%) stated the conflict of interest, 10 guidelines (13%) mentioned evidence-based developing, 5 guidelines (7%) performed evidence grading system, 8 guidelines (11%) performed recommendation strength grading system, and 4 guidelines (5%) performed both evidence and recommendation strength grading systems. The ratio of the 6 domains’ scores of AGREEⅡ were as follows: scope and purpose (18%), stakeholder involvement (11%), rigour of development (8%), clarity of presentation (34%), applicability (5%), and editorial independence (14%). Conclusion Compared with the guidelines published before, the guidelines of 2011 have a higher quality and some of them are progressively standardized in developing methodology.
Objective To analyze the methodological quality of clinical practice guideline mentioned “evidence-based” in China. Methods We selected clinical guidelines developed based on evidence issued by the Chinese Medical Association in 2010-2012, and meanwhile, we conducted additional search for guidelines on clinical major diseases. Then, we selected literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and evaluated the included guidelines according to 8 items relevant to methodological rigor which were selected from the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II). If the guidelines comply with the item, we recorded 1 point, otherwise 0 point. Results a) Among twenty-two included guidelines, 13 were originated and 9 were updated once every 3 to 5 years. b) Diseases covered stroke, diabetes, chronic hepatitis B, hypertension, pediatric nutrition, etc. c) The number of guideline references were 10 to 218, of which, nine guidelines cited 24 Cochrane systematic reviews (CDSRs), accounted for 2.62% (24/916). Among them, the acute ischemic stroke guideline cited the most (7 CDSRs). d) The number of experts involved in guidelines development was 2 to 95 and guidelines pages were 4 to 150. e) The guidelines’ quality generally scored 4 to 7, most of which described the process of guidelines development. The grades of recommendation were consistent with the levels of evidence. But most of the included guidelines did not clearly described literature research methods, peer reviewer, and update procedures. Conclusion There is a growing trend that clinical guidelines are developed based on evidence in China. However, the quality of reporting and the methodological rigor of guidelines need further improvement. The citation rates of Cochrane systematic reviews in these guidelines were relatively low. We suggest that guideline recommendations should be consistent with the levels of evidence and adapt to local conditions, and relevant support policies for guideline implementation in practice. In future, attention should be paid to the aspects of guideline development methods, reporting standard, guideline accessibility, and standard training for relevant personnel.
Objective To systematically review the methodological quality of guidelines concerning infertility, so as to provide references for clinical practice. Methods Guidelines concerning infertility were electronically retrieved (from inception to Feb. 2013) in PubMed, EMbase, CBM, WanFang Data, CNKI, GIN guideline database guideline development websites (including NGC, NICE, SIGN, NZGG, SOGC, etc.), and medical associtation websites (including IFFS, FIGO, ESHRE, NFOG, RCOG, ASRM, ACOG, etc.). We also searched Chinese guideline websites including the website of the National Health and Family Planning Commission of People’s Republic of China, CGC (China Guideline Clearinghouse), and CPGN (Clinical Practice Guideline Net). Two reviews independently screened literature according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and assessed the quality of guideline development and reporting using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II). Results a) A total of 16 guidelines concerning infertility were included, with development time ranging from 1998 to 2012. Among 16 guidelines, 10 guidelines were made by the USA, 3 by Britan, 1 by the Europe, and 1 by America and Europe. b) The scores of guidelines according to the domains of AGREE II decreased from “Clarity of presentations, scope and purpose”, “Participants”, “Applicability”, “Rigour of development”, and “Editorial independence”. 16 guidelines were generally low in quality. The levels of recommendations were Level A (5 guidelines), Level B (8 guidelines), and Level C (3 guidelines). c) Four evidence-based guidelines scored the top three in the domain of “Rigour of development”. d) The recommendations of different guidelines were fairly the same. e) No guidelines on infertility have been developed in China. Conclusion a) The guidelines on infertility should be improved in “Rigour of development” and “Applicability” in future. Conficts of interest should be addressed. b) Guidelines are recommended to be developed on the basis of the methods of evidence-based medicine, and best evidence is recommended. c) National organizations such as ASRM should be established in China, so as to develop biomedicine and TCM guidelines based on evidence and regulate the treatment. d) For the general assessment of guidelines, AGREE II should offer threshold criteria of suggestion.
The shortage of health workforce in rural and remote areas has been commonly concerned by every country around the word. It is one of world health issues, challenging the aspirations of achieving equity. In this regard, WHO developed the Global Policy Recommendations to improve the accessibility of the health workforce in rural and remote areas through improved retention. This article focuses on the key steps of the policy guideline developed from evidence-based medicine methodology and from angle of guideline development, mainly about background, issues, evidence retrieval and selection, quality grading of evidence, and the forming of recommendation plan, in order to further explore how to correctly understand, obtain, evaluate and apply currently available research evidence, and how to use the GRADE system to make scientific and feasible recommendations in the decision-making process, emphasizing the importance of evidence and the GRADE system in the evidence-based health decision-making.
Objective To systematically review the methodological quality of guidelines concerning pharmacological intervention for complicated hypertension. Methods The databases and relevant guideline websites such as MEDLINE, EMbase, CBM, WangFang Data, National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC), Guidelines International Network (GIN), National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and Clinical Practice Guideline Network (CPGN) were searched to collect the clinical guidelines concerning pharmacological intervention for complicated hypertension. By adopting the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE), the methodological quality of guidelines was assessed. Meanwhile the similarities, differences and features of drug recommendation in guidelines for different areas and diseases were analyzed by means of analogy comparison.Results A total of 21 guidelines concerning pharmacological intervention for complicated hypertension were included. The number of guidelines concerning hypertension complicated with coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, diabetes mellitus (DM) and kidney disease (KD) was 5, 5, 7 and 4, respectively. The publication year ranged from 2000 to 2011. According to the AGREE instrument, 19 and 2 guidelines were graded as Level B and C, respectively. The overall guidelines got low average scores in the domain of “Stakeholder involvement” and “Applicability”, including 9 evidence-based guidelines. There were totally 4 and 3 classes in terms of the level of evidence and recommendation, respectively; moreover, 10 and 6 expression forms were adopted in the level of evidence and recommendation, respectively. For hypertension with angina pectoris, -blocker (BB) and calcium channel blocker (CCB) were recommended unanimously. For hypertension with myocardial infarction, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) and BB were recommended unanimously. For hypertension with heart failure, ACEI, angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB) and BB were recommended unanimously. For hypertension with later stage of post-stroke, 76.47% guidelines recommended diuretic (D) and ACEI. For hypertension with acute stroke, recommendations were mainly based on the guidelines developed by American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA). For hypertension with DM or KD, the guidelines basically recommended that systolic/diastolic pressure should be controlled in the range of less than 130/80 mmHg. For hypertension with DM, ACEI were recommended unanimously, followed by D and CCB. For hypertension with KD, ACEI/ARB was recommended, while 3 of the 5 guidelines recommending CCB were from Asian. Conclusion The overall methodological qualities of complicated hypertension guidelines differs, with high proportion of evidence-based guidelines. The classification criteria of the levels of evidence and recommendation are still suboptimal. For hypertension with CHD, DM, KD and later stage of stroke, results from high quality clinical evidence are consistent, and the recommendations are basically unanimous, with no regional and quality difference. But in some clinical researches beyond reaching a consensus at present, the recommendation discrepancy exists, and there still remains controversy for hypertension with acute stroke.
GRADE（Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development，and Evaluation）方法为卫生保健中的证据质量评价与推荐强度评级提供指导。对那些为系统评价、卫生技术评估及临床实践指南总结证据的人而言，GRADE具有重要意义。GRADE提供了一个系统而透明的框架用以明确问题，确定所关注的结局，总结针对某问题的证据，以及从证据到形成推荐或作出决策。GRADE方法的广泛传播与应用，获全球50余个组织认可，这些组织大多有很强的影响力（http://www.gradeworkinggroup.org/），足以证明该工作的重要性。本文介绍临床流行病学杂志将刊出的20篇系列文章，为如何使用GRADE方法提供指导。
证据质量升级的最常见原因是效应量大。当方法学严谨的观察性研究表明风险至少降低或增加2倍时，GRADE建议考虑将证据质量升高1级；当风险至少降低或增加5倍时，考虑将证据质量升高2级。当存在剂量-反应关系，或所有合理的混杂、偏倚会降低明显的治疗效应，或混杂、偏倚使得结果无效为假效应时，系统评价作者和指南制定者也可考虑升高证据质量。其他考虑因素包括起效迅速、潜在的疾病（状态）趋势以及间接证据。
To overview the methodology and procedure used in developing evidence-based guidelines for migraine headache, the article described the two procedures systematically: 1. the Methods used in the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research’s Technical Reviews. 2. US Headache Consortium’s Methods used in developing clinical guidelines
Objective To improve care and outcomes for all migraine suffers, the USHC created these evidence-based guidelines for migraine headache. Methods Firstly, 5 relative Technical reviews were done according to the Methods used in the AHCPR Technical Reviews. Secondly, based on the results of the 5 technical reviews, the 4 treatment guidelines were developed in direction of the USHC’S Methods used in developing clinical guidelines. Results Evidence supporting the acute treatment and preventive treatment were exclusively Class 1 studies, evidence supporting the diagnostic testing were either Class 2 or Class 3 studies , only very few expert judgment was given on some compelling issues without evidence. The recommendations they supporting were high-qualified, middle-qualified, and poor-qualified respectively. Conclusion This Evidence-Based Guidelines is one of the first and most extensive cooperative projects available for creating guidelines. The guideline was developed with systematical and scientific methods and stroven to base all of its recommendations on evidence.