A systematic review and quality appraisal of international guidelines for early breast cancer systemic therapy: Are recommendations sensitive to different global resources?

Physicians' attitudes and perceived barriers to adherence to the national breast cancer clinical practice guidelines in Mexico: a survey study

BACKGROUND

Adherence to clinical practice guidelines improves outcomes for patients with breast cancer. However, their implementation may not be feasible in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to evaluate physicians' adherence, attitudes, and barriers towards the Colima Consensus, which is the Mexican national breast cancer clinical practice guideline.

METHODS

A cross-sectional, 31-item survey was e-mailed to Consensus attendees and members of the Mexican Society of Oncology and Mexican Mastology Association. Descriptive statistics, univariate, and multivariate analysis were used to analyze the associations between participants' characteristics, adherence, attitudes, and barriers.

RESULTS

Of 439 respondents, 78% percent adhered to Consensus recommendations and 94% believed it was applicable to their clinical practice. Forty percent reported using the Consensus as their sole breast cancer guideline. This was associated with being a surgical oncologist (OR 3.3, 95% CI 2.0-5.3) and practicing at a public hospital (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.2-3.7). The most common barriers to adherence were lack of resources and logistical problems. Regarding attitudes towards the Consensus, 90% considered it a good educational tool, 89% considered it a reliable source of information, and 90% thought it improved quality of care.

CONCLUSIONS

We showed high levels of adherence and positive attitudes towards the Colima Consensus, with a significant proportion of physicians using it as their only guideline. Lack of resources and logistical issues were the main barriers to adherence. Our results highlight the relevance of local breast cancer guidelines and suggest a need for the creation of resource-stratified guidelines.

Do stroke clinical practice guideline recommendations for the intervention of thickened liquids for aspiration support evidence based decision making? A systematic review and narrative synthesis

RATIONALE

Aspiration is a common sequela post stroke as a result of oropharyngeal dysphagia. It is primarily managed using the poorly empirically supported intervention of thickened liquids. Where evidence is limited, clinicians may rely on clinical practice guidelines to support decision making. The purpose of this systematic review and narrative synthesis was to evaluate the evidentiary bases of recommendations made by stroke clinical practice guidelines regarding the thickened liquids intervention.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted on stroke clinical guidelines retrieved via searches conducted across a range of databases including Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Library as well as through association websites. Guidelines were eligible for inclusion if they focused on adult stroke populations, made recommendations relating to the thickened liquid intervention and were published between January 2010 and December 2018. Four independent reviewers rated methodological quality using the AGREE-II instrument. Intervention recommendations were extracted and analysed using the Criteria for Levels of Evidence Reported from the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations and a novel framework examining the appropriateness of the supporting evidence.

RESULTS

Thirteen clinical guidelines were included in the review. Methodological quality was variable with seven rating as good-excellent overall. Thirty recommendations regarding the intervention were extracted. Of these, 16 recommendations were classed as a recommendation to use the treatment and all guidelines made this recommendation. Much of the evidence used to scaffold recommendations did not directly support the intervention.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the limited evidence base for the thickened liquid intervention, there was consensus among stroke guidelines in recommending it. This is despite limited empirical support. Furthermore, much of the evidence used to support recommendations was not appropriate, suggesting less than satisfactory evidence-based practices in formulating recommendations. In this case, clinical guidelines may not be reliable decision-support tools for facilitating clinical decision making.

Adherence to breast cancer guidelines is associated with better survival outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies in EU countries

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer (BC) clinical guidelines offer evidence-based recommendations to improve quality of healthcare for patients with or at risk of BC. Suboptimal adherence to recommendations has the potential to negatively affect population health. However, no study has systematically reviewed the impact of BC guideline adherence -as prognosis factor- on BC healthcare processes and health outcomes. The objectives are to analyse the impact of guideline adherence on health outcomes and on healthcare costs.

METHODS

We searched systematic reviews and primary studies in MEDLINE and Embase, conducted in European Union (EU) countries (inception to May 2019). Eligibility assessment, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were conducted by one author and crosschecked by a second. We used random-effects meta-analyses to examine the impact of guideline adherence on overall survival and disease-free survival, and assessed certainty of evidence using GRADE.

RESULTS

We included 21 primary studies. Most were published during the last decade (90%), followed a retrospective cohort design (86%), focused on treatment guideline adherence (95%), and were at low (80%) or moderate (20%) risk of bias. Nineteen studies (95%) examined the impact of guideline adherence on health outcomes, while two (10%) on healthcare cost. Adherence to guidelines was associated with increased overall survival (HR = 0.67, 95%CI 0.59-0.76) and disease-free survival (HR = 0.35, 95%CI 0.15-0.82), representing 138 more survivors (96 more to 178 more) and 336 patients free of recurrence (73 more to 491 more) for every 1000 women receiving adherent CG treatment compared to those receiving non-adherent treatment at 5 years follow-up (moderate certainty). Adherence to treatment guidelines was associated with higher costs, but adherence to follow-up guidelines was associated with lower costs (low certainty).

CONCLUSIONS

Our review of EU studies suggests that there is moderate certainty that adherence to BC guidelines is associated with an improved survival. BC guidelines should be rigorously implemented in the clinical setting.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

PROSPERO ( CRD42018092884 ).

Healthcare providers' adherence to breast cancer guidelines in Europe: a systematic literature review

Purpose

Clinical guidelines’ (CGs) adherence supports high-quality care. However, healthcare providers do not always comply with CGs recommendations. This systematic literature review aims to assess the extent of healthcare providers’ adherence to breast cancer CGs in Europe and to identify the factors that impact on healthcare providers’ adherence.

Methods

We searched for systematic reviews and quantitative or qualitative primary studies in MEDLINE and Embase up to May 2019. The eligibility assessment, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment were conducted by one author and cross-checked by a second author. We conducted a narrative synthesis attending to the modality of the healthcare process, methods to measure adherence, the scope of the CGs, and population characteristics.

Results

Out of 8137 references, we included 41 primary studies conducted in eight European countries. Most followed a retrospective cohort design (19/41; 46%) and were at low or moderate risk of bias. Adherence for overall breast cancer care process (from diagnosis to follow-up) ranged from 54 to 69%; for overall treatment process [including surgery, chemotherapy (CT), endocrine therapy (ET), and radiotherapy (RT)] the median adherence was 57.5% (interquartile range (IQR) 38.8–67.3%), while for systemic therapy (CT and ET) it was 76% (IQR 68–77%). The median adherence for the processes assessed individually was higher, ranging from 74% (IQR 10–80%), for the follow-up, to 90% (IQR 87–92.5%) for ET. Internal factors that potentially impact on healthcare providers’ adherence were their perceptions, preferences, lack of knowledge, or intentional decisions.

Conclusions

A substantial proportion of breast cancer patients are not receiving CGs-recommended care. Healthcare providers’ adherence to breast cancer CGs in Europe has room for improvement in almost all care processes. CGs development and implementation processes should address the main factors that influence healthcare providers' adherence, especially patient-related ones.

Registration:

PROSPERO (CRD42018092884).

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s10549-020-05657-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorised users.

An innovative method for clinical practice guideline contextualisation for chronic musculoskeletal pain in the South African context

BACKGROUND

Clinical guidelines produced in developed nations may not be appropriate in resource-constrained environments, due to differences in cultural, societal, economic and policy contexts. The purpose of this article is to describe an innovative and resource-efficient method to develop a clinical practice guideline (CPG), using the CPG contextualisation approach.

METHODS

The four phased contextualisation framework was applied to produce a contextualised, multidisciplinary CPG for the primary health care of adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMSP) in the South African context. The four phases were: a contextual analysis, evidence synthesis, contextual integration and external evaluation. Qualitative methodology was used to investigate context factors influencing health care in this environment. A systematic review was conducted to identify current, high-quality CPGs on the topic, and to synthesise a core set of clinical recommendations from the CPGs. Consensus methods were used to integrate context information with recommendations. A multidisciplinary panel of local experts authenticated and contextualised recommendations. The resultant CPG was externally reviewed using a survey.

RESULTS

The results from the contextual analysis phase indicated a wide range of contextual factors that could influence the applicability and implementability of the recommendations, including: the personal characteristics of the patient and clinician, social and environmental circumstances, healthcare interventions available, and healthcare system factors. During phase two, six existent high quality CPGs were identified and a core set of multidisciplinary recommendations were sourced from them. The contextual integration phase produced the validated recommendations, accompanied by its underpinning body of evidence and context specific information. The outcome of phase four (external review) was that the recommendations were confirmed as relevant for the intended setting.

CONCLUSION

CPG contextualisation was found to be a practical approach to develop a contextualised multidisciplinary CPG for the primary health care of adults with CMSP in a South African setting. The contextualisation approach enhanced the integration of multiple stakeholder perspectives and highlighted the importance of considering clinical, social and economic complexities during CPG development. Attention to contextual information is advocated to enhance the uptake of CPG recommendations, particularly in resource constrained settings.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Health Research Ethics Committee of Stellenbosch University, South Africa (S14/01/018); the review protocol was registered on PROSPERO (registration number CRD42015022098 ).

Clinical practice guidelines in breast cancer

Background

A number of clinical practice guidelines (cpgs) concerning breast cancer (bca) screening and management are available. Here, we review the strengths and weaknesses of cpgs from various professional organizations and consensus groups with respect to their methodologic quality, recommendations, and implementability.

Methods

Guidelines from four groups were reviewed with respect to two clinical scenarios: adjuvant ovarian function suppression (ofs) in premenopausal women with early-stage estrogen receptor-positive bca, and use of sentinel lymph node biopsy (slnb) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (nac) for locally advanced bca. Guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (asco); Cancer Care Ontario's Program in Evidence Based Care (cco's pebc); the U.S. National Comprehensive Cancer Network (nccn); and the St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Consensus Conference were reviewed by two independent assessors. Guideline methodology and applicability were evaluated using the agree ii tool.

Results

The quality of the cpgs was greatest for the guidelines developed by asco and cco's pebc. The nccn and St. Gallen guidelines were found to have lower scores for methodologic rigour. All guidelines scored poorly for applicability. The recommendations for ofs were similar in three guidelines. Recommendations by the various organizations for the use of slnb after nac were contradictory.

Conclusions

Our review demonstrated that cpgs can be heterogeneous in methodologic quality. Low-quality cpg implementation strategies contribute to low uptake of, and adherence to, bca cpgs. Further research examining the barriers to recommendations-such as intrinsic guideline characteristics and the needs of end users-is required. The use of bca cpgs can improve the knowledge-to-practice gap and patient outcomes.

Evaluation of guidelines regarding surgical treatment of breast cancer using the AGREE Instrument: a systematic review

OBJECTIVES

Many clinical practice guidelines and consensus statements (CPGs/consensus statements) have been developed for the surgical treatments for breast cancer. This study aims to evaluate the quality of these CPGs/consensus statements.

METHODS

We systematically searched the PubMed and EMBASE databases, as well as four guideline repositories, to identify CPGs and consensus statements regarding surgical treatments for breast cancer between January 2009 and December 2016. We used the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) instrument to assess the quality of the CPGs and consensus statements included. The overall assessment scores from the AGREE instrument and radar maps were used to evaluate the overall quality. We also evaluated some factors that may affect the quality of CPGs and consensus statements using the Mann-Whitney U test or Kruskal-Wallis H test. All analyses were performed using SPSS V.19.0. This systematic review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

RESULTS

A total of 19 CPGs and four consensus statements were included. In general, the included CPGs/consensus statements (n=23) performed well in the 'Scope and Purpose' and 'Clarity and Presentation' domains, but performed poorly in the 'Applicability' domain. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN), New Zealand Guidelines Group (NZGG) and Belgium Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE) guidelines had the highest overall quality, whereas the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), Japanese Breast Cancer Society (JBCS) guidelines and the D.A.C.H and European School of Oncology (ESO) consensus statements had the lowest overall quality. The updating frequency of CPGs/consensus statements varied, with the quality of consensus statements generally lower than that of CPGs. A total of six, eight and five CPGs were developed in the North American, European and Asian/Pacific regions, respectively. However, geographic region was not associated with overall quality.

CONCLUSIONS

The ASCO, NICE, SIGN, NZGG and KCE guidelines had the best overall quality, and the quality of consensus statements was generally lower than that of CPGs. More efforts are needed to identify barriers and facilitators for CPGs/consensus statement implementation and to improve their applicability.