Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 6, 2025

Protocol and Guidelines for Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound in Diagnosing Neonatal Pulmonary Diseases Based on International Expert Consensus
06:15

Protocol and Guidelines for Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound in Diagnosing Neonatal Pulmonary Diseases Based on International Expert Consensus

Published on: March 6, 2019

50.6K

Systematic Identification and Critical Appraisal of Pediatric COVID-19 Guidelines Applicable in India

Kamal Kumar Singhal1, Joseph L Mathew2, Jeanne M Dsouza3

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Advanced Pediatrics Center, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, 160012, India.

Indian Journal of Pediatrics
|January 19, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric COVID-19 guidelines in India show low methodological quality, impacting their reliability and use. Urgent improvements are needed to enhance these critical health documents.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric infectious disease management
  • Health guideline development and appraisal
  • Public health policy in India

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid development of pediatric management guidelines.
  • Assessing the quality of these guidelines is crucial for ensuring effective and safe patient care.
  • Limited information exists on the methodological rigor of pediatric COVID-19 guidelines specific to India.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically identify and critically appraise the methodological quality of pediatric guidelines for COVID-19 management in India.
  • Evaluate the adherence of these guidelines to established quality standards.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search across ten databases for pediatric COVID-19 guidelines applicable to India (up to April 30, 2021).
  • Methodological quality appraisal using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation II (AGREE-II) tool by at least two independent appraisers.
  • Statistical analysis of AGREE-II scores, comparing Indian vs. foreign, updated vs. original, and early vs. late pandemic guidelines.

Main Results:

  • 62 guidelines were identified; only 8 (12.9%) were Indian.
  • Overall AGREE-II scores indicated low methodological quality (median 37.9%).
  • Domain scores revealed significant variability, with particularly low scores for Rigor of Development (23.4%) and Editorial Independence (8.3%).
  • No significant differences in quality were found between Indian and foreign, updated and original, or early and late pandemic guidelines.

Conclusions:

  • Available pediatric COVID-19 guidelines in India exhibit low methodological quality, compromising their credibility, validity, and applicability.
  • Urgent strategies are required to improve the development and quality of these essential clinical guidelines.
  • Enhancing guideline quality is paramount for ensuring optimal pediatric care during public health emergencies.
Abstract

Keywords:
AGREE-II toolCOVID-19ChildrenGuidelinesQuality

More Related Videos

Guidelines for Elective Pediatric Fiberoptic Intubation11:19

Guidelines for Elective Pediatric Fiberoptic Intubation

Published on: January 17, 2011

17.8K
Nasal Brushing Sampling and Processing Using Digital High Speed Ciliary Videomicroscopy – Adaptation for the COVID-19 Pandemic09:03

Nasal Brushing Sampling and Processing Using Digital High Speed Ciliary Videomicroscopy – Adaptation for the COVID-19 Pandemic

Published on: November 7, 2020

5.0K

Related Concept Videos

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion01:26

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion

In pediatric medicine, understanding the renal function and drug elimination nuances is crucial for administering safe and effective treatments. Newborns, in particular, display markedly slower renal functions than adults, profoundly affecting how drugs are cleared from their bodies. This slower drug clearance requires clinicians to extend the dosing intervals for many medications to prevent drug accumulation and toxicity while ensuring therapeutic efficacy.One key area where these adjustments...
11
Standard Precaution01:26

Standard Precaution

Standard precautions are the minimum infection control safeguards used while caring for all patients, irrespective of their disease condition. They help prevent the spread of common infectious microorganisms to healthcare workers, patients, and visitors in all healthcare settings.
Hand hygiene is the most crucial means to prevent the transmission of disease. Employers are legally required to provide their workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure or contact with...
2.3K
Respiratory Assessment: Purpose and Indications01:19

Respiratory Assessment: Purpose and Indications

Respiratory assessment is a cornerstone of nursing assessments, crucial for the early detection of patient deterioration. This evaluation transcends routine procedures, representing a critical skill nurses must master to ensure optimal patient care.
Objectives and Importance:
The primary goal of respiratory assessment is to evaluate patients at early risk of clinical deterioration. Since respiratory distress often precedes other signs of declining health, breathing patterns and sounds become a...
1.3K
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption01:23

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption

Understanding the physiological differences in the pediatric population is crucial for effective pharmacotherapy. Neonates, infants, and children exhibit significant variations in gastric pH, gastric emptying time, intestinal transit time, and biliary function. These variations profoundly affect oral drug absorption, necessitating a nuanced approach to pediatric dosing.Neonates present with a unique physiological profile, having a gastric pH greater than 4 and faster and more irregular gastric...
12
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism01:24

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Metabolism

In pediatric care, understanding the nuances of hepatic drug metabolism is crucial, as it significantly differs from that of adults. This divergence is primarily due to the developmental stage of drug-metabolizing enzymes, which affects how medications are processed in the body. In neonates, for instance, the activity of Phase I enzymes—critical for the initial breakdown of drugs—is markedly reduced, functioning at just 20–40% of the levels seen in adults. This reduction poses...
17
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution01:17

Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Distribution

Drug distribution in the pediatric population exhibits unique challenges and considerations due to the physiological differences between children, particularly neonates and infants, and adults. A crucial aspect of pediatric pharmacology is understanding how these differences impact the pharmacokinetics of various drugs, necessitating age-specific dosing strategies to ensure efficacy and safety.Neonates and infants have a higher total body water content, ~75%–90% of their body weight,...
10