Quality appraisal of clinical guidelines for peripherally inserted central catheter-related thrombosis prophylaxis in patients: a systematic review

Abstract

ObjectivesTo evaluate and analyse the quality of clinical practice guidelines for Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter-related thrombosis (PICC-related thrombosis) to identify the most current and effective prophylactic measures recommended in the guidelines.DesignScoring and analysis of the guidelines using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II).Data sourcesCochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wan Fang) and the relevant websites of the guideline were searched through 8 August 2024.Eligibility criteria for selecting studiesStudies that primarily clinical practice guidelines on the prevention of PICC-related thrombosis were included.Data extraction and synthesisTwo reviewers independently screened the searched items and extracted data and scored documents using AGREE II. Findings were summarised in Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) evidence profiles and synthesised qualitatively.ResultsThe analysis incorporated a total of nine guidelines, all rated as ‘recommended’ or ‘recommended with modifications’. Standardised scores revealed elevated performance in the domains of Scope and Purpose, Clarity of Presentation and Editorial Independence. Conversely, the Stakeholder Involvement and Applicability domains yielded the lowest average standardised scores. Disparities in standardised scores across guidelines were particularly evident in the domains of Rigour of Development, Stakeholder Involvement and Applicability. The agreement between the two appraisers was almost perfect (intraclass correlation coefficients higher than 0.80). A considerable proportion of recommendations relied on evidence of low-quality, in certain instances, were derived from expert opinions within working groups.ConclusionsThe review reveals that a significant portion of recommendations relies on low-quality evidence. Guideline developers are urged to prioritise methodological quality, with a specific focus on refining Stakeholder Involvement and Applicability domains. Addressing these aspects will enhance the overall quality and reliability of PICC-related thrombosis prevention guidelines. One potential way to mitigate these challenges is to endorse a standardised approach to guideline development and to synthesise reliable clinical evidence to reduce variation in recommendations.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42023495519.