Appraisal and Evaluation of the Latest Management/Treatment WHO Guidelines in 2020-2021 Using AGREE II Tool
Journal of Medical Library and Information Science,
Vol. 5 No. 5 (2024),
8 January 2024
,
Page 1-13
https://doi.org/10.22037/jmlis.v5i.45558
Abstract
Background: Health guidelines are among the items submitted to the offices of different medical journals, and considering the need for checking and reviewing them before they are approved for publication in the journal, this study aimed to evaluate the latest World Health Organization (WHO) management/treatment guidelines in 2020-2021 using the AGREE II tool.
Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted in 2022, the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II Tool was used to assess 13 of the latest WHO management and treatment guidelines across different medical areas. AGREE II is a tool designed to assess guidelines based on six key domains: scope and purpose, stakeholder involvement, rigor of development, clarity of presentation, applicability, and editorial independence. The tool also evaluates the guideline overall and determines whether it is recommended for practice. Two appraisers assessed each guideline. One of them was a medical journalist with a good command of the English language, and the other was a general physician. Mean and standard deviations were used to analyze the gathered data. Microsoft EXCEL software (version 2016) was used to analyze the gathered data.
Results: Twelve of the assessed guidelines were assessed as having “high quality,” and one was assessed as having “average” quality. All the assessed guidelines were recommended, except five of them needed modifications in their development process.
Conclusion: The evaluations indicate that the process of guideline formulation and the quality of reporting in the assessed guidelines are sound and reliable for use in different health systems. Furthermore, the AGREE II tool will help improve the submitted guidelines in the offices of medical journals and provide a means for medical journalism students, reviewers of the submitted articles, and journal editors. The guidelines have been evaluated for their quality and impact on healthcare practice and policy based on the information provided. The high-quality ratings of the guidelines suggest that they can positively influence healthcare practice and policy. Furthermore, these guidelines can also influence future research and development in related fields, shaping the direction of healthcare policies and practices.
- Appraisal
- Disease management
- WHO Guidelines
- Quality improvement
- AGREE II tool
How to Cite
References
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