The publication of the 2016 version of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines is a further step to the treatment of sepsis worldwide. This version of guidelines approves new definition of Sepsis-3. Overall, the new guidelines do not change the previous principle of treatment significantly. Some detailed and specific modifications have been made. Understanding and rational use of the new guidelines based on clinical practice, are the key to managing sepsis and performing accurate and effective treatment.
Objective To evaluate quality and current status of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) guidelines and consensus, and to promote the improvements in the quality of guidelines and consensus. Methods A systematic collection of TCM guidelines and consensus published in medical journals in 2022 was conducted. We used scientific, transparent, and applicable ranking tools (STAR) for evaluation, analyzed the scoring rates (%), and assessed the quality level and influencing factors of guidelines and consensus through methods such as comparison and stratification. Results A total of 130 TCM guidelines and consensus were included. Guideline areas with higher scores included recommendations (65.3%), evidence (55.9%), and guideline development groups (54.2%). In the case of consensus, higher scores were observed in recommendations (38.7%), guideline development groups (37.0%), and funding (30.0%). The total score rate of TCM guidelines exceeded that of national guidelines, while the consensus rate was lower. Stratified analysis revealed statistical differences in guideline score rates among journals and issuing institutions, as well as significant differences in consensus score rates among journals, formulation institutions, subjects, and funding categories. Conclusion The quantity and quality of TCM guidelines and consensus are on a positive trajectory, with higher quality levels in guidelines than in consensus. The overall quality of TCM guidelines surpasses that of national guidelines, particularly emphasizing the scientificity of guideline formulation. However, the overall quality of consensus remains lower than that of the national consensus. Factors such as journals, formulation institutions, subjects, and funding categories are identified as potential influences on the quality of TCM guidelines and consensus.
In November 2018, the American Heart Association (AHA) updated Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care. Rather than a comprehensive revision of the 2015 edition guidelines, the 2018 AHA guidelines update was updated again according to the rule " the update of the guideline is whenever new evidence is available”, providing the evidence review and treatment recommendation for antiarrhythmic drug therapy in pediatric shock-refractory ventricular fibrillation/pulseless ventricular tachycardia cardiac arrest. The Pediatric Task Force of the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation updated the guideline, reaffirming the 2015 pediatric advanced life support guideline recommendation that either lidocaine or amiodarone may be used to treat pediatric patients with shock-refractory ventricular fibrillation or pulseless ventricular tachycardia.
In November 2019, the American Heart Association updated guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and emergency cardiovascular care. This update is not a comprehensive revision of the 2015 version. The updates for children and newborns mainly include three aspects: ① Pediatric basic life support: A. It is recommended that emergency medical dispatch centers offer dispatcher-assisted CPR instructions for presumed pediatric cardiac arrest. B. It is recommended that emergency dispatchers provide CPR instructions for pediatric cardiac arrest when no bystander CPR is in progress. ② Pediatric advanced life support: A. The bag-mask ventilation is reasonable compared with advanced airway interventions (endotracheal intubation or supraglottic airway) in the management of children during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). B. The extracorporeal CPR may be considered for pediatric patients with cardiac diagnoses who have in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) in settings with existing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation protocols, expertise, and equipment. C. Continuous measurement of core temperature during targeted temperature management is recommended; for infants or children between 24 hours and 18 years of age who remain comatose after OHCA or IHCA, targeted temperature management is recommened. ③ Neonatal resuscitation: A. In term and late-preterm newborns (≥35 weeks of gestation) receiving respiratory support at birth, the initial use of 21% oxygen is reasonable. B. One hundred percent oxygen should not be used to initiate resuscitation because it is associated with excess mortality. C. In preterm newborns (<35 weeks of gestation) receiving respiratory support at birth, it may be reasonable to begin with 21% to 30% oxygen.
Objective To explore the methods used for developing evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for acupuncture. Methods Based on the characteristics of acupuncture in traditional Chinese medicine,and principles of evidence-based medicine, this article introduces and summarizes the processes and methods for developing an evidence-based clinical practice guideline for acupuncture. We analyzed similarities and differences between clinical practice guidelines for acupuncture and for other interventions. We used an evidence-based clinical practice guideline of acupuncture for depression as an example to illustrate the methods of literature search, grading of evidence and recommendations, evidence evaluation and consensus formation. Results Preliminary recommendations on the methods for developing evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for acupuncture were made. Conclusion Based on the optimized rational methodology for developing clinical guidelines, evidence-based high-quality clinical practice guidelines for acupuncture could be established.
In order to help Chinese guideline developers, clinicians, health policy makers and other relevant researchers fully understand and make appropriate use of World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, Chinese GRADE Center and Guidelines Review Committee of World Health Organization (WHO-GRC) have written a series of papers about development methods, review principles and the structure and content of WHO guidelines. This is the second paper of this series introducing the composition, main work and functions of WHO-GRC.
To promote the accessibility and application of guidelines, it is necessary to establish a professional guideline database to adapt to the rapid growth of TCM clinical practice guidelines. This study described the framework design, technology module, information management, and quality control of the clinical practice guideline database of traditional Chinese medicine (G-TCM). G-TCM had included 658 TCM clinical practice guidelines, which would provide a platform for clinicians, researchers, guideline makers (revision), and evaluators to quickly query and obtain clinical guideline information, and play a supporting role in promoting the standardization and accessibility of TCM clinical practice guidelines and better guiding clinical practice.
Objective To investigate the awareness of rational use of drug (RUD) on medical workers in hospitals of different ranks, the establishment and execution of relevant strategies in hospitals of different ranks, and the main factors affecting RUD on medical workers, so as to provide references for the generalization of RUD. Methods A certain number of different ranks of hospitals in Chengdu and Zigong were randomly selected by the convenience sample method. Medical workers in each hospital were selected through face-to-face interviews with a self-designed questionnaire. Monte Carlo Chi-square analysis was applied on the hospital ranks and formulation of RUD guidelines, and logistic regression analysis was performed on the awareness of RUD knowledge of the respondents. Results Among 700 questionnaires distributed, 672 were retrieved (response rate 96.0%). The numbers of respondents who were familiar with the Pharmaceutical Affairs Councils (PACs) as well as the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committees (PTCs) were 217 (32.29%) and 83 (12.35%), respectively. The number of respondents who understood the concept of essential medicine was 502 (74.71%). A total of 441 (61.16%) medical workers had been trained on RUD, 199 (29.61%) medical workers denied there were PTCs in their hospitals, and 60.71% of the medical workers mentioned that the use of drug was monitored and controlled with the feedback in their hospitals. The result of logistic regression analysis indicated that the professional title (P=0.038), awareness of essential medicine (Plt;0.001) and participation of RUD training (P=0.008) were the factors influencing the awareness of RUD. Conclusion Both management and education should be executed at the same time to elevate the level of rational use of drug. In order to increase the level of RUD we should complete monitoring institution and improving RUD awareness of workers. Additionally enhancing the rationality of medication should be performed by establishing guidelines of treatment or medication. Improving personal knowledge, scientific information and medication custom should be performed by standardizing regulations, strengthening management, emphasizing education and promoting communication between doctors and patients.
Rapid development of recently emerging precision medicine techniques represented by gene therapy has brought hope for the treatment of rare blinding eye diseases such as inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) for which there was no effective treatment previously. Although the globally growth of clinical trials for IRDs has increased rapidly over the past decade, due to the highly genetic and clinical phenotypic heterogeneity, as well as limited data on epidemiology and natural history of the disease, along with severe loss of vision function of majority patients for which the established measurements may not be appropriate, such studies lack standard outcome measurements and endpoints to asses clinical meaningful effectiveness, posing great challenges in terms of study design and evaluation of treatment efficacy, as well as clinical practice application. At present, there is no systematic nor standardized guidance on safety measures, clinical outcomes and endpoints of visual function for clinical trial design in IRDs. Therefore, in order to standardize the validated evaluation of IRDs clinical efficacy outcome measurements and endpoints, the Fundus Disease Group of Chinese Medical Association Ophthalmology Branch and Fundus Disease Committee of Chinese Medical Doctor Association Ophthalmology Branch organized domestic experts to put forward consensus and recommendations on standardizing outcome measurements and endpoints for clinical study design in IRDs, aiming to advance the study design of IRDs natural history research and clinical trials and to effectively evaluate disease progression and intervention efficacy. Along with the development of medical science and clinical trials, relevant content will be improved and updated accordingly.
There is a worldwide consensus that urgent action is needed to prevent and control multi-drug resistant organisms in health care settings, especially carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPsA). In 2017, to focus on this topic, World Health Organization organized experts worldwide to develop guidelines for the prevention and control of CRE, CRPsA and CRAB. In this paper, we introduced the background, development process, main measures, advantages and disadvantages of the guidelines to help infection prevention and control practitioners take actions properly based on the guidelines.