Methodological Quality Appraisal of 27 Korean Guidelines Using a Scoring Guide Based on the AGREE II Instrument and a...

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Clinical Epidemiology
• Evidence-Based Medicine

Background:

• Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are crucial for evidence-based healthcare.
• Evaluating the methodological quality of CPGs ensures their reliability and applicability.
• The AGREE II instrument is a widely recognized tool for assessing CPG quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the methodological quality of Korean CPGs using the Korean AGREE II scoring guide.
• To identify strengths and weaknesses in the development and content of Korean CPGs.
• To determine the proportion of high-quality Korean CPGs based on established criteria.

Main Methods:

• A total of 27 Korean CPGs were appraised by qualified experts.
• The appraisal utilized the AGREE II instrument, assessing 6 domains and 23 items.
• A web-based appraisal system and a Korean scoring guide were employed for the evaluation.

Main Results:

• Mean domain scores varied significantly, with 'Clarity of Presentation' (88.9%) and 'Scope and Purpose' (82.7%) scoring highest.
• 'Applicability' (30.1%) and 'Stakeholder Involvement' (53.4%) domains showed lower scores.
• 18 out of 27 (66.7%) CPGs met the criteria for high-quality guidelines, primarily based on 'Rigor of Development' (>60%).

Conclusions:

• Korean CPGs demonstrate variable methodological quality across different domains.
• Areas such as stakeholder involvement and applicability require enhancement to improve overall CPG quality.
• While a majority of guidelines showed good rigor of development, further improvements are needed to ensure consistent high quality.