Clinical practice guidelines for the management of community-acquired pneumonia: A critical appraisal using the AGREE II instrument

Comparative Analysis of Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Pharmacological Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Latin America

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the world. The majority of diabetes deaths (> 80%) occur in low- and middle-income countries, which are predominant in Latin America. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to compare the clinical practice guideline (CPG) for the pharmacological management of T2DM in Latin America (LA) with international reference guidelines.

RECENT FINDINGS

Several LA countries have recently developed CPGs. However, the quality of these guidelines is unknown according to the AGREE II tool and taking as reference three CPGs of international impact: American Diabetes Association (ADA), European Diabetes Association (EASD), and Latin American Diabetes Association (ALAD). Ten CPGs were selected for analysis. The ADA scored > 80% on the AGREE II domains and was selected as the main comparator. Eighty percent of LA CPGs were developed before 2018. Only one was not recommended (all domains < 60%). The CPGs in LA have good quality but are outdated. They have significant gaps compared to the reference. There is a need for improvement, as proposing updates every three years to maintain the best available clinical evidence in all guidelines.

An Unexpected Finding on Chest Radiograph: Cavitating Pneumonia

A pulmonary cavity is defined as a gas-filled space within a zone of pulmonary consolidation or within a mass or nodule. These cavities can be identified through imaging such as plain chest radiography and computed tomography. Pulmonary cavities arise from a variety of conditions that are infectious or noninfectious, leading to a broad range of differential diagnoses. One of the differential diagnoses is cavitary pneumonia, also referred to as necrotizing pneumonia; a rare complication related to community-acquired pneumonia. Infrequency of this complication can make this disease difficult to manage, leading to higher morbidity and mortality rates. This article provides an overview of a case of cavitary pneumonia that presented to an emergency department. This article discusses the history and physical, differential diagnoses/medical decision-making, management, and implications for the nurse practitioner for this patient.

Use of the AGREE II instrument to evaluate critical care practice guidelines addressing pharmacotherapy

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have been evaluated for reporting transparency and methodological quality in a number of studies in various disciplines, but few studies have focused on critical care and none on pharmacotherapy-related guidelines specifically. The objective of this study was to evaluate the quality of critical care CPGs with a focus on pharmacotherapy using the Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument.

METHOD

A cross-sectional study of CPGs published from 2013 through August 2021 was conducted. Following establishment of interrater reliability, guidelines were independently evaluated by three reviewers to rate guidelines on criteria set forth by the AGREE II instrument. Domain scores and item scores were calculated using the AGREE II user manual, and results described with descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

Out of 192 guidelines identified, 73 met inclusion criteria and were screened using the AGREE II instrument. Most guidelines were authored by a professional organization or government agency. Domain quality scores were calculated for each domain as recommended by the AGREE II instrument. Domain 4 (clarity of presentation) had the highest AGREE II domain score with a median score of 87.0% (interquartile range: 79.6%-92.6%). Domain 5 (applicability) received the lowest domain score with a mean score of 41.8 ± 21.1%. The majority of guidelines were recommended for use as published or with modifications, while only six guidelines (8.2%) were not recommended for use.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of critical care guidelines that include pharmacotherapy recommendations were recommended for use by study authors when the AGREE II instrument was applied. While guidelines generally scored highly in clarity of presentation, additional time and effort should focus on providing solutions to guideline implementation and inclusion of patient preferences.

Community-acquired pneumonia - An EFIM guideline critical appraisal adaptation for internists

BACKGROUND

In real-life settings, guidelines frequently cannot be followed since many patients are multimorbid and/or elderly or have other complicating conditions which carry an increased risk of drug-drug interactions. This document aimed to adapt recommendations from existing clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to assist physicians' decision-making processes concerning specific and complex scenarios related to acute CAP.

METHODS

The process for the adaptation procedure started with the identification of unsolved clinical questions (PICOs) in patients with CAP and continued with critically appraising the updated existing CPGs and choosing the recommendations, which are most applicable to these specific scenarios.

RESULTS

Seventeen CPGs were appraised to address five PICOs. Twenty-seven recommendations were endorsed based on 7 high, 9 moderate, 10 low, and 1 very low-quality evidence. The most valid recommendations applicable to the clinical practice were the following ones: Respiratory virus testing is strongly recommended during periods of increased respiratory virus activity. Assessing the severity with a validated prediction rule to discriminate where to treat the patient is strongly recommended along with reassessing the patient periodically for improvement as expected. In adults with multiple comorbidities, polypharmacy, or advanced age, it is strongly recommended to check for possible drug interactions before starting treatment. Strong graded recommendations exist on antibiotic treatment and its duration. Recommendations on the use of biomarkers such as C-reactive protein or procalcitonin to improve severity assessment are reported.

CONCLUSION

This document provides a simple and reliable updated guide for clinical decision-making in the management of complex patients with multimorbidity and CAP in the real-life setting.

Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Cleft Lip and Palate: A Systematic Quality Appraisal Using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II Instrument

ABSTRACT

Patients with cleft lip and/or palate require complex and longitudinal care by a multidisciplinary cleft team. Unfortunately, delivery of cleft care is often fragmented, and care practices can vary significantly. Multiple clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have been proposed to provide a standardized framework for cleft care delivery. As CPGs have gained popularity, there has been increasing demand to maintain the quality of existing guidelines. A comprehensive search of EMBASE, MEDLINE via PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane and grey literature sources published from January 1, 1990 to December 31, 2020 was conducted to identify CPGs for the care of cleft patients. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation, 2nd edition II tool was used to assess the quality of selected CPGs. Intraclass coefficients were calculated to assess agreement among appraisers. Eleven guidelines were identified for study inclusion. One guideline was classified as "high" quality by Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II criteria, and the remaining guidelines were classified as "average" or "low" quality. The "Clarity of Presentation" domain achieved the highest mean score (76.9% ± 11.7%) across CPGs, whereas the "Rigor of Development" domain scored the lowest (35.6% ± 21.2%). Intraclass coefficients analysis reflected very good inter-rater reliability across all domains (0.853-0.987). These findings highlight significant variability in the quality of existing CPGs for the global management of patients with cleft lip and/or palate. The "Rigor of Development" domain reflects the greatest opportunity for improvement. Given these findings, future guidelines may prioritize incorporating a systematic review of existing evidence into recommendations.