Week 3: Introduction to Clinical Practice Guidelines

Question 1

What are clinical guidelines? (Course Manual, Evidence Based Nursing 219)

Answer 1

A form of evidence that summarizes information from multiple sources into one document

Systematically developed statements that assist health practitioners and clients to make decision about what is the most appropriate care

Provide an outline of management options for a given health issue and provide the nurse with preprocessed evidence, selected based on a systematic process for reviewing the available clinical evidence

Question 2

Where are clinical guidelines located in the 6s pyramid? (Course Manual)

Answer 2

Summaries

Question 3

What is critiquing in terms of EIDM? (Course Manual)

Answer 3

Process of critical appraisal in which a person evaluates a source of evidence for the scientific validity or merit of both the content and its application to practice

Question 4

Which practice guidelines should you scrutinize to determine trustworthiness of the guideline? (Evidence Based Nursing 219)

Answer 4

All sources

Question 5

What is the AGREE instrument? How can it be used? (Evidence Based Nursing 221)

Answer 5

Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation Instrument

Used to appraise practice guidelines for their quality

Consists of 23 scale items in 6 domains, rating the guideline from 0-100 in each domain

Scope and Purpose

• Objective of guideline described

-Clinical questions covered by guideline described

-Patients whom guideline applies to described

Stakeholder involvement

-Guideline development group includes individuals from relevant professional groups

-Patients views and preferences sought

-Target users of guideline defined

-Guideline has been piloted among target users

Rigour of developemnt

-Systematic methods used to search

-Criteria for selecting evidence described

-Methods for formulating recommendations described

-Benefits, risks, side effects, have been considered in formulating recommendations

-Explicit link between recommendations and evidence

-Guideline has been externally reviewed

-Procedure for updating guideline provided

Clarity and Presentation

-Recommendations are specific

-Different options for management of condition described

-Key recommendations identifiable

-Guideline supported with tools for application

Applicability

-Potential organizational barriers in applying guideline have been discussed

-Potential cost implications of applying recommendations have been considered

-Guideline presents key review criteria for monitoring and/or audit purposes

Editorial independence

-Guidelines is editorially independent from funding body

-Conflicts of interest of have been recorded