ObjectiveChinese practice guideline for therapeutic drug monitoring of vancomycin is the first therapeutic drug monitoring guideline in the framework of GRADE in China. The guideline panels met a recommendation consensus in December 21th, 2014 and finalized 14 recommendations. The aim of the current study was to assess the property of recommendations and revise them. MethodsWe commissioned an external review of recommendations by questionnaire. Physicians, clinical pharmacists and nurses above or equal to intermediate certificate were investigated for appreciations, clarity and feasibility of 14 recommendations as well as other suggestions about guideline. The guideline panels discussed the results and revised recommendations based on the result of external review. ResultsA total of 40 physicians, clinical pharmacist and nurses from 11 departments of 4 hospitals participated in the external review. The overall appreciation degree of recommendations was 70%, the overall clarity degree of recommendations was 88%, and the overall feasibility degree of recommendations was 70%. Among them, appreciation degree of 4 recommendations and feasibility degree of 5 recommendations were fewer than 50%. 165 subjective suggestions were received. After review of the results, the guideline panels reserved 6 recommendations while revised 8 (Deleted 4, combined 2 and improved 2). ConclusionOur external review is an exploration and attempt in the region of development of Chinese evidence-based practice guideline. More interest-related individuals are involved in the development of guideline. Clarity and feasibility of recommendations are ensured.
ObjectivesTo assess the methodological quality of clinical practice guidelines of cervical cancer in China published from 2014 to 2018.MethodsCNKI, WanFang Data, CBM, VIP, Medlive.cn, the National Guideline Clearinghouse, PubMed, The Cochrane Library and EMbase were searched for cervical cancer clinical practice guidelines published in China from January 1st, 2014 to December 31st, 2018. Four reviewers searched and selected the literature independently according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and assessed the methodological quality of the included guidelines by using AGREE Ⅱ.ResultsA total of 9 guidelines were included. The average score for each area was: scope and purpose 75.47%, stakeholders’ involvement 35.09%, the rigor of development 43.70%, clarity of presentation 87.74%, applicability 80.76%, and editorial independence 0%.ConclusionsThe quality of cervical cancer clinical practice guidelines in China requires further improvement.
Objective To assess the methodological quality of clinical guidelines and consensus of lupus nephritis, to collect the recommendations of each guideline, and to provide references for clinical decision-making. Methods PubMed, CNKI, and CBM databases and related websites such as NGC, NICE, GIN, SIGN, and Medive were electronically searched from January 2012 to December 2020 to collect the clinical guidelines and expert consensus for lupus nephritis. After consistency evaluation by four evaluators, the methodological quality of the included guidelines or expert consensus was evaluated using AGREE Ⅱ. The relevant recommendations, evidence level, and recommended strength of each guideline in treating lupus nephritis were summarized. Results A total of eight guidelines and two consensus statements were included. Among them, eight guidelines or consensus statements were level B (generally recommended guidelines), and two were level C (non-recommended guidelines). Relevant recommendations mainly gave the corresponding treatment scheme according to the pathological type of lupus nephritis. Conclusion The methodological quality of lupus nephritis guideline formulation in China needs to be improved. The included guidelines and consensus can provide reference for clinical decision-makers. However, higher-quality clinical practice guidelines for the Chinese population are needed to be developed in the future.
Objective To review and evaluate the basic contents and development of the current global clinical guidelines for lung cancer practice so as to provide useful information for domestic study. Methods Six databases including PubMed (to June 2008) and relevant websites (both in Chinese and English) were searched. Articles were screened according to the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The number of clinical guidelines was counted and the quality of guidelines was also assessed. Results A total of 208 articles were found to be clinical guideline-related and 133 were finally included. Of those, 78 were original versions and 55 were updated versions. And 86 articles mentioned guideline development methodology. The guidelines were issued by 14 countries/regions, mainly by USA (39.85%), Canada (24.81%) and France (8.27%). The earliest one was published by USA in 1984. 125 guidelines were issued by oncological or thoracic institutions, and the other 8 were not issued by specialized institutions or not specified. The 133 articles were classified into 3 major clinical categories: synthesis (24), multi-subject (21) and single-subject (88). As for quality evaluation, the average score of all guidelines was 72.09 (full score 100). The highest average score was found in 1996 which was 83.50, and the lowest in 1997 (66.80). The guidelines issued by France had the highest average score (79.80), and Japan, with the lowest average score (48.00). The average score of 4 categories of lung cancer were 73.54 (non-smallcell lung cancer), 65.74 (lung cancer), 74.72 (small-cell lung cancer), and 76.00 (bronchogenic lung cancer), respectively. Conclusion The number of clinical guidelines showed an increasing trend. Most guidelines were issued by developed countries. The subjects included in the synthetic guidelines showed an expanding trend covering about 20 subjects from prevention to palliative care. A trend of multi-country contribution to the guidelines development and revision was noted. Researches became more focused on different types and stages. Evidence-based methodology was accepted globally in the clinical guideline development, but unfortunately very few applied the method of health technology assessment. China issued only 2 original guidelines, which were based on literature review and expert opinions, respectively. Due to the limitation of language restriction, inaccessibility of full-text articles and unavailability of authorized and specific quality evaluation protocols, the conclusions of this study should be interpreted with caution.
Objective To summarize and compare the functional characteristics and technical parameters of the comprehensive global clinical practice guideline (CPG) databases, so as to provide references for the construction of CPG database of China. Methods CPG databases were collected worldwide by discussing with experts in the guideline and database fields. Studies on guideline databases were searched in PubMed and CNKI to additionally collect CPG databases mentioned in these studies. Representative comprehensive CPG databases were finally selected by consulting relevant guideline experts. The basic information, functional characteristics (including column settings, service contents, and related file types) and technical parameter data were extracted and summarized. A descriptive analysis was conducted to compare different CPG databases. Results Nine guideline databases which are distributed in eight countries of the Americas, Europe, Oceania and Asia were included. The number of included guidelines of the nine databases ranged from 31 to 15 410. The earliest database was established in 1993. Except that the MINDS database didn’t provide search function, eight databases provided basic search function, and six provided further advanced search function. PDF and HTML formats of guidelines were available in most databases, but the XML format was only available in National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC). Responsive Web design was an important feature for most websites of databases and four databases developed mobile applications. Local mainstream social media sharing function was provided by six databases. All databases’ construction was professional in technical parameters including network transmission, Web server, programming language and the selection of server room. Conclusion This study compares the functional features and technical parameters of the comprehensive global CPG databases, which provides important information that should be considered in establishing a guideline database, to strengthen the top-level design or to help optimize the functionality of a guideline database. It also helps guideline databases users to find more proper resources.
ObjectivesTo investigate the citation status of systematic reviews (SRs)/meta-analyses in clinical practice guidelines and consensuses of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).MethodsWe electronically searched PubMed, CBM, WanFang Data and CNKI databases to collect TCM guidelines and consensus from January 1st, 2009 to December 31st, 2018. Two reviewers independently screened literature and extracted data. Citation analysis method was used to analyze the citation status of SRs/meta-analysis in TCM guidelines and consensuses.ResultsA total of 142 TCM guidelines and consensuses were included, of which 39 (26.5%) failed to provide relevant citations. Of the 103 (72.5%) TCM guidelines and consensuses providing citations, 48 (34.3%) cited SRs/meta-analyses, and 43 cited outdated SRs/ meta-analyses. Four TCM guidelines and consensuses cited Cochrane reviews. In terms of citations, the average citations of guidelines and consensuses were 35.1 and 42.2, respectively; and the average SRs/meta-analyses citations of guidelines and consensuses were 3.8 and 5.5, respectively.ConclusionsTCM guidelines and consensuses citation report rates and the proportion of citation SRs/meta-analyses still require increase. TCM guidelines developers should strengthen the role and significance of SRs, especially Cochrane reviews, in supporting recommendations.
The clinical practice guideline on traditional Chinese medicine alone or combined with antibiotics for patients with acute upper respiratory infection in children was issued by China Association of Chinese Medicine in June 2017. Base on the evidence, consensus and experience, five manage groups, steering committee, consensus expert group, systematic review group, drafting group and secretary group, have promoted the project. The main work process refers to up-to-date clinical practice guideline definitions of institute of medicine and quick recommendations guide of guidelines international network and WHO. In order to provide readers with a better understanding of the guideline, the drafting process of guideline principle, main work process, and basis policy were described in detail in this paper. The guidelines’ scientific characteristics, accuracy and practicability were better exhibited in attempt to enhance its promotion and application.