Evaluation of Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Use of Supplementary Parenteral Nutrition in ICU Patients.

Background: This evaluation aims to provide a reference for clinical decision-making regarding the use of SPN in intensive care unit (ICU) patients. The objective of this study is to evaluate the quality of clinical practice guidelines for the use of supplementary parenteral nutrition (SPN) in ICU patients, both domestically and internationally. Patients and Methods: The quality of clinical practice recommendations for SPN use in ICU patients was assessed using a systematic approach. Results: Five nutrition recommendations in total were included for analysis. The average standardized scores for the recommendations across the six domains of the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) are as follows: Scope and purpose scored 87.96%, stakeholder Involvement scored 68.52%, rigour of development scored 73.40%, clarity of presentation scored 84.80%, applicability scored 64.72%, and editorial independence scored 91.10%. In the comprehensive evaluation, two guidelines were rated as grade A recommendations, and three were rated as grade B recommendations. Most guidelines recommended against early use of SPN when energy and protein requirements could not be met solely through enteral nutrition (EN) in ICU patients. The guidelines emphasized achieving target energy levels and discontinuing parenteral nutrition (PN) as soon as the energy requirements were met to prevent overfeeding. Conclusion: This study utilized the AGREE II scale to assess the quality of five nutrition guidelines. All 5 guidelines were deemed acceptable Recommendations include focusing on participants, rigour, and applicability to enhance guideline quality. Clinicians should exercise professional judgment when applying guidelines as they complement training and judgment, rather than replacing them.

How Useful? Fish-Friendly Irrigation Guidelines for the Lower Mekong Lack Definition in Five Key Areas.

A proliferation of irrigation infrastructure throughout the Mekong River has impacted the ability of certain fish species to migrate to fulfil their lifecycle. In response, fishways, a type of fish-friendly irrigation structure, have been developed to provide passage for these fish. In recent years, several guidelines documents providing guidance on fish-friendly irrigation structures and their construction have been published. The development process from guideline inception to publication is unclear, while their purpose, audience, and contribution to fishway practice are vague. This study is the first to review the development of three fish-friendly guideline documents, using structural criteria analysis, combined with qualitative data from 27 key informant interviews. It aimed to understand document elements such as purpose, audience, scope, and framing. The results showed reviewed guideline utility and impact could be improved by attention to five key aspects, namely: definition of target audience; engagement of target audience in guideline design; definition of guideline scope; specificity of recommendations; and evaluation. Attention to these 5 aspects may result in guidelines that are perceived as more useful by their target audience and have greater impact on water management practice.

Audiological ototoxicity monitoring guidelines: a review of current evidence and appraisal of quality using the AGREE II tool.

OBJECTIVE: The effectiveness of audiological monitoring for detecting early hearing changes in patients receiving ototoxic medication could be limited by the lack of adequate audiological ototoxicity monitoring (OtoM) guidelines. This study aimed to evaluate existing OtoM guidelines using the AGREE II tool for guideline evaluation. DESIGN: Guideline Review. STUDY SAMPLE: Three audiological OtoM guidelines. RESULTS: An online search identified three audiological OtoM guidelines published by the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association (ASHA), the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) and the Health Professionals Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Evaluation using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II tool found the HPCSA audiological OtoM guideline scored higher than the ASHA and AAA guidelines in five of the six tool domains. All guidelines received average domain ratings of less than 50% with each reviewer recommending all three guidelines for use following modification. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study could partly explain the poor uptake of audiological OtoM practices internationally, further investigation is needed to identify the specific factors limiting the implementation of audiological OtoM in clinical practice.

Impact of the 2018 ACR Supplemental Screening Recommendations on MRI Eligibility in Breast Cancer Survivors.

PURPOSE: The 2018 ACR recommendations for breast cancer screening in women at higher than average risk include new recommendations for supplemental breast MRI for patients with personal histories of breast cancer (PHBCs) who carry hereditary cancer gene mutations, have dense breast tissue, or were diagnosed before 50 years of age. In comparison, prior guidelines recommended supplemental MRI only for women with PHBCs who carried hereditary cancer gene mutations. The aim of this study was to quantify the increase in the number of patients with breast cancer for whom supplemental breast MRI would now be recommended. METHODS: Data were extracted from the electronic health records of patients presenting for screening or diagnostic mammography at an urban academic medical center between July 20, 2020, and July 19, 2021. Data extracted included patient-reported PHBC, age at time of breast cancer diagnosis, and hereditary cancer gene mutation carrier status. Descriptive statistics are reported, evaluating the rate of eligibility for supplemental breast MRI in a retrospective population given the new ACR guidelines. RESULTS: Of the 2,950 patients with self-reported PHBCs who presented for breast cancer screening in the year between July 2020 and July 2021, 1,805 (61%) met the criteria for supplemental breast MRI according to the 2018 guidelines compared with only 3.6% using pre-2018 guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Measuring the impact of the 2018 ACR supplemental MRI recommendations using real-world data at a single urban academic medical center demonstrated a 15-fold increase in potential eligibility for supplemental breast MRI in patients with PHBCs.

Evaluation of guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection.

BACKGROUND: To systematically evaluate the quality of the guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection and to analyze the differences and reasons for the key recommendations in the guidelines. METHODS: Databases and websites were systematically searched to obtain guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection. Four independent reviewers used the Guideline Evaluation Tool (AGREE II) to evaluate the included guidelines. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Fleiss' kappa coefficient were used to measure the consistency of evaluation guidelines between guide reviewers. Differences between guidelines and the reasons for the differences were analyzed by comparing the recommendations of different guidelines and the evidence supporting the recommendations. RESULTS: A total of 17 guidelines for Helicobacter pylori infection were included in this study. The AGREE II scores of these guidelines were low overall, with 4 of them had a score of over 60%, which indicates that the guidelines are recommended, and 13 of them having a score ranging from 30 to 60%, which indicates that the guidelines are recommended but need to be revised, while no guideline had a score of 30% or less, which indicates that they were not recommended. The analysis of these guidelines found that there were some differences in the main recommendations. Not all guidelines recommend sequential therapy as the recommended therapy. Whether bismuth quadruple therapy should be used as the recommended first-line therapy is unclear. The antibiotic resistance rate is different in different regions. Combined with the local antibiotic sensitivity test, the eradication rate of Helicobacter pylori can be improved. CONCLUSION: There are significant differences in the quality of Helicobacter pylori infection guidelines and the key recommendations. Improving the deficiencies of existing guidelines is an effective way to develop high-quality guidelines and make reasonable recommendations for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection in the future.

A systematic review and quality analysis of cancer pain guidelines.

Background and Aims: Cancer pain guidelines remain confined due to implementation barriers, preventing them from attaining a global perspective. The guidelines must be robust in development and inculcate high-quality content to achieve practical utility. Quality indicators related to safe opioid practice empower effective guideline implementation. Methods: The protocol was registered prospectively in PROSPERO (CRD42021244823). Guidelines published over the last decade providing insights into cancer pain management and incorporating safe opioid practice were evaluated. The review's primary outcome was to evaluate the quality of cancer pain guidelines. Appraisal of guidelines for research and evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument was used to assess a guideline's quality. The ADAPTE collaboration-guideline adaptation resource tool kit (ADAPTE) provided insights into its adaptation based on specific questions within the guideline. Results: Fourteen cancer pain guidelines met the eligibility criteria and were included for quality evaluation. Eight guidelines were evaluated with combined AGREE II and ADAPTE process, attaining >66.7% in the rigour of development domain score, summated scaled domain score, and specific ADAPTE tools to evaluate the quality of each guideline. The intra-class correlation coefficient was utilised for resolving inter-rater agreement. 'Safe opioid practice' within a guideline was assessed for quality content implementation. Conclusion: Combined AGREE II and ADAPTE identified four cancer pain guidelines, namely Ministry of Health Malaysia, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, NCEC-National Clinical Guideline, and World Health Organization, which were of the highest quality and incorporated safe opioid practice effectively.

The trend and outcome of postsurgical therapy for high-risk early-stage cervical cancer with lymph node metastasis in Japan: a report from the Japan Society of Gynecologic Oncology (JSGO) guidelines evaluation committee.

OBJECTIVE: The Japan Society of Gynecologic Oncology published the first guidelines for the treatment of cervical cancer in 2007. The aim of this research was to evaluate the influence of the introduction of the first guideline on clinical trends and outcomes of patients with early-stage cervical cancer who underwent surgery. METHODS: This analysis included 9,756 patients who were diagnosed based on the pathological Tumor-Node-Metastasis (pTNM) classification (i.e., pT1b1, pT1b2, pT2b and pN0, pN1, pNX) and received surgery as a primary treatment between 2004 and 2009. Data of these patients were retrospectively reviewed, and clinicopathological trends were assessed. The influence of the introduction of the guideline on survival was determined by using a competing risk model. RESULTS: For surgery cases, the estimated subdistribution hazard ratio (HR) by the competing risk model for the influence of the guideline adjusted for age, year of registration, pT classification, pN classification, histological type, and treatment methods was 1.024 (p=0.864). Following the introduction of the first guideline in 2007, for patients with lymph node metastasis, the use of chemotherapy (CT) as a postsurgical therapy increased, whereas that of concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT)/radiotherapy (RT) decreased (p<0.010). For pN1 cases, the estimated subdistribution HR by the competing risk model for the influence of the guideline was 1.094 (p=0.634). There was no significance in the postsurgical therapy between CT and CCRT/RT (p=0.078). CONCLUSIONS: Survival of surgical cases was not improved by the introduction of the guidelines. It is necessary to consider more effective postsurgical therapy for high-risk early-stage cervical cancer.

Epidemiological guideline influence on the therapeutic trend and patient outcome of uterine cervical cancer in Japan: Japan society of gynecologic oncology guideline evaluation committee project.

OBJECTIVE: The Japan Society of Gynecologic Oncology published its first clinical guidelines for uterine cervical cancer in 2007 which has been revised twice in 2011 and 2017. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the first guideline publication on the therapeutic trend and patient outcome by analyzing uterine cervical cancer cases registered to the cancer registry organized by the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. METHODS: Data of uterine cervical cancer cases registered to the cancer registry from 2000 to 2012 were provided. Epidemiological and clinical trend were analyzed by the Chi-squared test with subsequent standardized residual analysis. Overall survival among the patients registered between 2004 and 2009 was analyzed using the Fine and Gray competing risk model. RESULTS: 68,707 cases were registered during the study period. A trend analysis revealed that the guideline publication may have led to a decrease in neoadjuvant chemotherapy in parallel with an increase in radiation therapy mainly in stage II and III patients undergoing primary treatment. A survival analysis indicated that the introduction of the guideline may have improved overall survival among stage III uterine cervical cancer patients, even though a significant difference was not observed in all of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the potential influence of the guideline publication on the clinical trend and patient outcome. As this is the first assessment of the guideline for uterine cervical cancer in Japan, continuous evaluation is necessary to further comprehend the significance of this guideline.

[Clinical application evaluation and revision suggestions of clinical practice guideline on traditional Chinese medicine therapy alone or combined with antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infection in children].

Questionnaires and case investigation methods were taken in this paper, taking the clinical practice guideline on traditional Chinese medicine therapy alone or combined with antibiotics for upper respiratory tract infection in children published by the Chinese Medicine Association as the research object. Doctors from 187 hospitals in 29 regions across the country were invited to evaluate the applicability of the Guideline and clinical application effects, so as to collect the opinions on revising the Guideline. Clinicians about 508 accepted the applicability survey of the Guideline, and considered that the structure and content of the Guideline were reasonable, with the proportions being as high as 98.23% and 98.03%, respectively. In the content of syndrome differentiation-based treatment, the factors with higher rationality included therapeutic principle and method (99.41%), diagnosis elements (98.82%), and syndrome differentiation classification (98.03%); while the factors with lower rationality included the rehabilitation and health preserving (97.05%) and complication prevention (97.24%). 98.03% of the clinicians considered theat the Guideline was to be fully applicable and basically applicable, and 1.97% of the clinicians considered it to be applicable after revision. By observing 491 cases, the Guide was applied for evaluation and analysis. The factors with higher compliance included diagnosis of Western medicine disease (100%) and the diagnosis of TCM disease (99.18%); while the factors with lower compliance included the treatment measures, with a compliance rate of 77.18% and 83.05% respectively for simple preparations and other treatment method. The safety and economy of the Guideline were good, 97.35%, 93.89%, respectively. The comprehensive evaluation was good, and 99.41% of the respondents were willing to follow the treatment schemes recommended in the Guideline, suitable for clinical application. The opinions on revision were mainly focused on dialectical treatment, complication prevention and rehabilitation. It indicates that only by actively and extensively soliciting opinions to revise the Guideline, can we improve the quality of the Guideline for clinical practice, so as to raise the level of clinical efficacy.