Quality of Reporting on Guideline, Protocol, or Algorithm Implementation in Adult Trauma Centers: A Systematic Review

To appraise the quality of reporting on guideline, protocol, and algorithm implementations in adult trauma settings according to the Revised Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence (SQUIRE 2.0).

At present we do not know if published reports of guideline implementations in trauma settings are of sufficient quality to facilitate replication by other centers wishing to implement the same or similar guidelines.

A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Articles were identified through electronic databases and hand searching relevant trauma journals. Studies meeting inclusion criteria focused on a guideline, protocol, or algorithm that targeted adult trauma patients ≥18 years and/or trauma patient care providers, and evaluated the effectiveness of guideline, protocol, or algorithm implementation in terms of change in clinical practice or patient outcomes. Each included study was assessed in duplicate for adherence to the 18-item SQUIRE 2.0 criteria. The primary endpoint was the proportion of studies meeting at least 80% (score ≥15) of SQUIRE 2.0.

Of 7368 screened studies, 74 met inclusion criteria. Thirty-nine percent of studies scored ≥80% on SQUIRE 2.0. Criteria that were met most frequently were abstract (93%), problem description (93%), and specific aims (89%). The lowest scores appeared in the funding (28%), context (47%), and results (54%) criteria. No study indicated using SQUIRE 2.0 as a guideline to writing the report.

Significant opportunity exists to improve the utility of guideline implementation reports in adult trauma settings, particularly in the domains of study context and the implications of context for study outcomes.