Quality evaluation of childhood autism guidelines/consensus based on AGREE Ⅱ and RIGHT
Objective To evaluate the methodological and reporting quality of published guidelines/consensus for childhood autism(CA),providing a basis for formulating domestic CA guidelines.Methods We searched databases including CNKI,Wanfang Data,SinoMed,Medlive,PubMed,national institute of health and clinical excellence(NICE),national guideline clearinghouse(NGC),and Scottish intercollegiate guidelines network(SIGN)for Chinese and foreign guideline/consensus on childhood autism published before February 1,2024.Two researchers independently evaluated the methodology and reporting quality of the guideline/consensus using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation Ⅱ(AGREE Ⅱ)and Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare(RIGHT)tools.Results After literature screening,19 CA guidelines/consensus were included,comprising 11 guidelines,7 consensus,and 1 expert recommendation,with 9 domestic and 10 foreign articles.The AGREE Ⅱ evaluation scores for the six domains were as follows:scope and purpose(91.1%±4.5%),stakeholder involvement(86.8%±6.7%),rigour of development(83.0%±10.2%),clarity of presentation(84.3%±6.2%),applicability(82.7%±13.3%),and editorial independence(65.4%±21.8%).The RIGHT checklist reported rates for the seven domains were:basic information(87.6%±11.0%),background(87.6%±13.8%),evidence(81.1%±22.6%),recommendation(71.1%±38.4%),review and quality assurance(83.5%±16.7%),funding and declaration and management of interests(48.7%±29.4%),and other information(64.4%±11.8%).The domain with the lowest score for methodological quality was"editorial independence"and for reporting quality,it was"funding and declaration and management of interests".The reporting rate of domestic articles(26.2%±1.5%)was significantly lower than that of foreign articles(52.6%±2.2%),with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05).Conclusion The overall quality of current childhood autism guidelines/consensus requires improvement.During the formulation and reporting of guidelines/consensus,strictly adhering to AGREE Ⅱ and RIGHT is imperative,and it is essential to clearly report funding sources and conflicts of interest.