Health equity considerations in guideline development: a rapid scoping review.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Public Health Policy

Background:

• Systematic guidance for incorporating health equity into clinical practice guidelines is currently insufficient.
• Existing literature lacks a comprehensive synthesis of best practices for health equity in guideline development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and synthesize current best practices for integrating health equity considerations throughout the guideline development process.
• To identify the benefits and drawbacks associated with these health equity practices.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive scoping review was conducted using multiple databases (Ovid MEDLINE ALL, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science) and grey literature.
• Searches covered literature from 2010 to 2022 for published articles and 2015 to 2022 for grey literature.
• Qualitative synthesis of extracted best practices, advantages, disadvantages, and tools was performed based on guideline development stages.

Main Results:

• Twenty-six articles proposing best practices for health equity in guideline development were included.
• Best practices were categorized across guideline development phases: planning, evidence review, development, and dissemination.
• Included studies encompassed guideline producer insights, analyses of current guidelines, implementation strategies, and literature reviews.

Conclusions:

• This review identified actionable best practices for embedding health equity considerations into all stages of guideline development.
• Guideline producers can utilize these findings to inform equity-promoting strategies.
• Careful consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of each practice is crucial for successful integration of health equity.