GRADE-Adolopment: A learning experience from Jordan’s guidelines on management of adult with diabetes

Article type
Authors
Sartawi H1, Alshokaibi S2, Hammad E3, Alharasis S2, Alzghoul A2, Abu-Nar O4, Shawawreh F5, Megdadi M6, Rabai N7, Qanno' O8, Mustafa R9, Almohtaseb A2
1Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacy Directorate, Ministry Of Health, Amman, Jordan
2Non-Communicable Diseases Directorate, Ministry Of Health, Amman, Jordan
3School of Pharmacy, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
4Internal Medicine Department, Jordan Hospital, Amman, Jordan
5Samih Darwazah Cancer Center, Al-Basheer Hospitals Administration, Ministry of Helath, Amman, Jordan
6Emergency Hospital, Al-Basheer Hospitals Administration, Ministry of Health, Amman, Jordan
7Princess Basma Teaching Hospital, Ministry of Health, Irbid, Jordan
8General and Speciality Surgeries Hospital, Al-Basheer Hospitals Administration, Ministry of Health, Amman, Jordan
9Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, University of Kansas, Kansas City, KS, USA; Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Abstract
Background: Jordan's national STEPwise survey for non-communicable diseases in 2019 highlighted a high prevalence of diabetes (20%) among adults aged 45–69 years old, which is among the highest regionally. In response, the Ministry of Health (MOH) identified optimizing diabetes and cardiovascular disease management in primary health care settings as a national public health priority, necessitating evidence-based practice guidelines.

Objectives: We aim to summarize the Jordan diabetes national guidelines experience using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations (GRADE)-Adolopment framework.

Methods: The MOH convened a national guideline development group which included a core working group (WG) and panel members. A multidisciplinary guideline core WG including clinicians, pharmacists, and a methodologist, collaborated to develop guidelines that are applicable to the Jordanian context. Guideline panelists represented physicians from private and public sectors and a patient representative. The WG searched the literature and identified most recent diabetes guidelines and systematic reviews using the GRADE methodology. The core WG received training about GRADE and the adolopment process from GRADE experts in the Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre and the US GRADE network.

Findings: Out of nine guidelines and reviews identified, the WG included four. The adolopment process commenced in October 2023, with ongoing progress. The WG extracted a list of 29 potential questions from the source guidelines. Panel discussions prioritized therapeutic interventions, resulting in the identification of 15 questions. The GRADE evidence-to-decision framework guides the adolopment process. The core WG conducted targeted searched especially about baseline risks, resource requirements, equity, acceptability, and feasibility considerations to contextualize the evidence to Jordan. The WG is in the process of analyzing data about barriers and facilitators of GRADE-adolopment in Jordan.

Conclusions: In agreement with the premise of “Global evidence, local guidelines”, the establishment of the first national task-force in Jordan to develop guidelines using the GRADE-adolopment approach, marks a significant step toward evidence-based practice in the country. This early experience not only lays the groundwork for the ongoing evolution of diabetes management guidelines but also contributes to building local expertise in evidence-based recommendation synthesis. It also serves as an case example to GRADE-adolopment in Low- and Middle- Income Countries.