Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: Against the backdrop of the observed rapid increase in published clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), systematic CPG analyses (‘overviews of CPGs’) can be considered as information filters by summarising recommendations of evidence-based CPGs.
Objectives: We aimed to provide the Ministry of Health with an overview of antenatal, perinatal and postnatal screening recommendations from international evidence-based CPGs as decision support for a reoriented national parent-child preventive care programme.
Methods: A systematic search in two guideline databases was supplemented by a comprehensive handsearch via websites of international institutions developing CPGs. We included evidence-based guidelines from western industrialised countries providing screening recommendations for pregnancy and early childhood that were published or updated within the past five years. Guideline development had to be based on a systematic literature search and recommendations had to be explicitly linked to the evidence. We extracted the screening recommendations, grades of recommendation, the screening times and methods, treatment options and potential harms.
Results: The systematic CPG analysis provides a comprehensive, systematic overview of recommendations from evidence-based guidelines of international institutions for screening measures during pregnancy and early childhood: We included a total of 138 guidelines, published by 14 institutions, and extracted recommendations related to 92 health threats. Basically, grades of recommendations were high for all pro-screening recommendations, whereas certainty decreased across all contra-screening recommendations.
Conclusions: The policy decision on the implementation of new screening measures or the adaptation of existing screening approaches requires the appraisal of the provided CPG analysis. Currently, an interdisciplinary expert panel discusses the transferability and applicability of the international CPGs and develops recommendations for the national context.
Objectives: We aimed to provide the Ministry of Health with an overview of antenatal, perinatal and postnatal screening recommendations from international evidence-based CPGs as decision support for a reoriented national parent-child preventive care programme.
Methods: A systematic search in two guideline databases was supplemented by a comprehensive handsearch via websites of international institutions developing CPGs. We included evidence-based guidelines from western industrialised countries providing screening recommendations for pregnancy and early childhood that were published or updated within the past five years. Guideline development had to be based on a systematic literature search and recommendations had to be explicitly linked to the evidence. We extracted the screening recommendations, grades of recommendation, the screening times and methods, treatment options and potential harms.
Results: The systematic CPG analysis provides a comprehensive, systematic overview of recommendations from evidence-based guidelines of international institutions for screening measures during pregnancy and early childhood: We included a total of 138 guidelines, published by 14 institutions, and extracted recommendations related to 92 health threats. Basically, grades of recommendations were high for all pro-screening recommendations, whereas certainty decreased across all contra-screening recommendations.
Conclusions: The policy decision on the implementation of new screening measures or the adaptation of existing screening approaches requires the appraisal of the provided CPG analysis. Currently, an interdisciplinary expert panel discusses the transferability and applicability of the international CPGs and develops recommendations for the national context.