The reporting checklist for public versions of guidelines: RIGHT-PVG

Area of Science:

• Health communication
• Evidence-based practice
• Guideline development

Background:

• Public or patient versions of guidelines (PVGs) translate clinical recommendations for public understanding.
• Significant variability exists in the quality of reporting for PVGs across different organizations.
• There is a need for standardized reporting criteria to enhance PVG quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a reporting checklist for the creation and dissemination of PVGs.
• To establish consensus on essential reporting items for PVGs.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive review of existing PVGs, guidance documents, and patient needs studies.
• A two-round Delphi consultation process involving experts to achieve consensus on checklist items.
• External review of the developed checklist for further refinement.

Main Results:

• An initial list of 45 reporting items was generated from extensive literature and document review.
• A final checklist comprising 17 items, organized under 12 topics, was established through the Delphi process.
• The checklist aims to standardize the reporting of PVGs.

Conclusions:

• The RIGHT-PVG reporting checklist represents an international consensus on key criteria for reporting PVGs.
• Implementation of the RIGHT-PVG checklist is expected to improve the quality and consistency of PVGs.
• This checklist serves as a valuable tool for developers and users of PVGs.