The updating of clinical practice guidelines in China

2017 Cape Town [Global Evidence Summit]

Wang X¹, Ma Y¹, Yao L², Luo X¹, Wang Q¹, Zhou Q³, Chen Y¹, Liu C⁴, Chen W⁵, Liu G⁶, Wei L⁷, Si L⁷, Shi X⁸, Yang K¹

¹Evidence-based Medicine Center, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Evidence-based Medicine and Knowledge Translation of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China; Chinese GRADE Center, Lanzhou 730000, China;

² Clinical Research and Evidence-based Medicine Institute of the People's Hospital of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.

³ The first hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China.

⁴School of Information Science & Engineering, Lanzhou 730000, China;

⁵Philosophy and sociology school, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China;

⁶School of law, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China;

⁷School of Economics, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China;

⁸Gansu Rehabilitation Center Hospital, Lanzhou 730000

Background:

Updating a Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) can ensure its validity and practcality, whereas the status quo among CPGs, in most of the cases, does meet the expectation.

Objectives:

To investigate the updating status, methods and procedures for CPGs in China published between 2013-2015.

Methods:

We searched WanFang Data, VIP, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) using the term 'guideline' in the title, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) using 'guideline' as the topic word from January 2013 to December 2015. Then we screened and analysed all included papers by two independent researchers.

Results:

A total of 204 Chinese CPGs were included. Sixty-nine (34%) CPGs have been updated, among which the average update period was 5.3 (range 1~11) years. Seventeen (8%) guidelines had been updated more than once. Tweenty-nine (14%) CPGs indicated that guidelines will be updated, and 23 (12%) simply reported the

methods:

19 (82%) will update according to new evidence, two (9%) will depend on the new evidence and feedbacks, and two (9%) will base on new evidence and clinical experience. Only one guideline indicated that it was updated every two to four years, whereas others did not mention when to update.

Conclusions:

The update rate of Chinese CPGs was low, and the update period was comparatively long with great diﬀerence among different guidelines. For updating plans, only few reported their methods.