Quality assessment of atopic dermatitis clinical practice guidelines in ≤ 18 years

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Evidence-Based Medicine
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a prevalent chronic inflammatory skin condition significantly impacting quality of life, especially in children.
• Treatment decisions for AD often vary due to specialist experience, highlighting the need for standardized guidance.
• Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) aim to standardize care based on scientific evidence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the quality of existing clinical practice guidelines for atopic dermatitis in patients aged 18 years and younger.
• To assess the adherence of these guidelines to the AGREE II instrument's rigorous development standards.

Main Methods:

• Ten clinical practice guidelines for pediatric atopic dermatitis were systematically reviewed.
• Three independent reviewers assessed each guideline using the six domains of the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument.
• Domains assessed included scope and purpose, stakeholder involvement, rigor of development, clarity and presentation, applicability, and editorial independence.

Main Results:

• Most evaluated clinical practice guidelines for pediatric atopic dermatitis achieved high scores across several AGREE II domains.
• The 'applicability' domain received notably lower scores compared to other domains.
• Consistent high scores were observed in scope and purpose, stakeholder involvement, rigor of development, clarity and presentation, and editorial independence.

Conclusions:

• Existing clinical practice guidelines for pediatric atopic dermatitis are generally well-developed according to AGREE II standards.
• Future guideline development should prioritize enhancing the 'applicability' domain to improve real-world implementation.
• Recommendations for future atopic dermatitis CPGs should focus on identifying facilitators and barriers to the application of guideline recommendations.