Percentage (number) of guidelines containing the guideline appraisal instrument criteria by category
| Guideline appraisal instrument criteria | All guidelines (N = 52) | AHCPR guidelines (N = 17) | Updates of AHCPR guidelines (N = 5) | Guidelines that reference/adapt AHCPR guidelines (N = 30) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *We added these criteria to the clinical practice guideline appraisal instrument developed by Shaneyfelt et al. | ||||
| **Since we determined that this criterion was not applicable to the AHCPR guideline on mammography, the total number of guidelines for this criterion was 51 for all of the guidelines and 16 for the AHCPR guidelines. | ||||
| (1) Purpose of the guideline is specified | 100 (52) | 100 (17) | 100 (5) | 100 (30) |
| (2) Rationale and importance of the guideline are explained | 77 (40) | 100 (17) | 100 (5) | 60 (18) |
| (3) Participants in the guideline development process and their areas of expertise are specified | 96 (50) | 100 (17) | 80 (4) | 97 (29) |
| (3a) Are the participants multidisciplinary?* | 73 (38) | 100 (17) | 40 (2) | 63 (19) |
| (4) Targeted health problem or technology is clearly defined | 100 (52) | 100 (17) | 100 (5) | 100 (30) |
| (5) Targeted patient population is specified | 100 (52) | 100 (17) | 100 (5) | 100 (30) |
| (6) Principal preventive, diagnostic, or therapeutic options available to clinicians and patients are specified | 100 (51)** | 100 (16)** | 100 (5) | 100 (30) |
| (7) Method by which the guideline underwent external review is specified | 58 (30) | 100 (17) | 60 (3) | 33 (10) |
| (8) Expiration date or date of scheduled review is specified | 29 (15) | 12 (2) | 20 (1) | 40 (12) |
| (9) Method for grading or classifying the scientific evidence is specified | 46 (24) | 59 (10) | 40 (2) | 40 (12) |
| (10a) Benefits of specific health practices are specified | 100 (52) | 100 (17) | 100 (5) | 100 (30) |
| (10b) Harms of specific health practices are specified | 98 (51) | 100 (17) | 80 (4) | 100 (30) |
| (11a) Benefits are quantified | 64 (33) | 94 (16) | 100 (5) | 40 (12) |
| (11b) Harms are quantified | 64 (33) | 94 (16) | 80 (4) | 43 (13) |
| (12) Recommendations are graded according to the strength of evidence | 46 (24) | 82 (14) | 40 (2) | 27 (8) |
| (12a) Is there a definition for the strength of evidence they use?* | 46 (24) | 82 (14) | 40 (2) | 27 (8) |
| (13) Effect on health care costs from specific health practices is specified | 44 (23) | 94 (16) | 20 (1) | 20 (6) |
| (14) Costs are quantified | 37 (19) | 82 (14) | 20 (1) | 13 (4) |
| (15) Role of patient preferences is discussed | 60 (31) | 82 (14) | 40 (2) | 50 (15) |
| (16) Health outcomes are specified | 100 (52) | 100 (17) | 100 (5) | 100 (30) |
| (17) Flexibility in the recommendations is specified | 87 (45) | 100 (17) | 40 (2) | 87 (26) |
| (18) Evidence used is identified by citation and referenced | 92 (48) | 100 (17) | 100 (5) | 87 (26) |
| (19) Formal methods of combining evidence or expert opinion are used and described | 2 (1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 3 (1) |
| (20) Recommendations are specific and apply to the stated goals of the guideline | 98 (51) | 94 (16) | 100 (5) | 100 (30) |
| (21) Role of value judgements used by the guideline developers in making recommendations is discussed | 14 (7) | 6 (1) | 0 (0) | 20 (6) |
| (22) Intended audience or users of the guideline are specified | 83 (43) | 94 (16) | 80 (4) | 77 (23) |
| (23) Method of identifying evidence is specified | 54 (28) | 100 (17) | 60 (3) | 27 (8) |
| (23a) Was there a systematic review of the evidence?* | 52 (27) | 100 (17) | 60 (3) | 23 (7) |
| (24) Time period from which evidence is reviewed is specified | 39 (20) | 47 (8) | 60 (3) | 30 (9) |
| (25) Method of data extraction is specified | 21 (11) | 47 (8) | 20 (1) | 7 (2) |