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Assessing the Quality of World Health Organisation Guidelines during Health Emergencies: A Domain-Based Analysis
Bernard Ayine1, Cornelius Fuumaale Suom-Kogle2
1The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong. bernard.ayine@connect.polyu.hk.
Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health
|October 10, 2025
Summary
World Health Organization (WHO) emergency guidelines show strengths in clarity and scope but need improvement in transparency and stakeholder involvement. Enhancing guideline development processes is crucial for trust and utility during global health crises.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Policy
- Global Health Security
Background:
- Effective response during global health emergencies relies on high-quality guidelines from authoritative organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO).
- Assessing the quality of WHO emergency guidelines is crucial for identifying areas of strength and weakness.
- The Disease Outbreak News (DONs) platform serves as a key dissemination channel for these vital guidelines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the quality of World Health Organization (WHO) emergency guidelines published via the Disease Outbreak News (DONs) platform between 2023 and 2024.
- To identify specific strengths and weaknesses in WHO emergency guidelines across established quality domains.
- To inform improvements in guideline development and dissemination for future global health emergencies.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 115 WHO guidelines disseminated through the DONs platform.
- Utilized the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation II (AGREE II) framework, assessing six domains.
- Employed descriptive statistics and one-way repeated measures ANOVA to analyze domain scores.
Main Results:
- Statistically significant differences were found across the AGREE II domains (F(2.40, 552.34)=739.09, p<.001, ηp²=0.866).
- Highest scores were observed for Scope and Purpose (M=6.46) and Clarity of Presentation (M=6.27), indicating strong goal articulation and user accessibility.
- Lowest scores were recorded for Editorial Independence (M=2.74) and Rigour of Development (M=3.26), highlighting significant gaps in transparency and methodological robustness.
Conclusions:
- WHO emergency guidelines demonstrate strengths in clarity and scope but exhibit critical weaknesses in transparency, stakeholder engagement, and methodological rigor.
- There is a need for more balanced and inclusive guideline development processes to bolster trust and utility.
- Addressing these identified weaknesses is essential for enhancing the effectiveness of public health emergency responses.
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