Objective To evaluate quality and current status of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) guidelines and consensus, and to promote the improvements in the quality of guidelines and consensus. Methods A systematic collection of TCM guidelines and consensus published in medical journals in 2022 was conducted. We used scientific, transparent, and applicable ranking tools (STAR) for evaluation, analyzed the scoring rates (%), and assessed the quality level and influencing factors of guidelines and consensus through methods such as comparison and stratification. Results A total of 130 TCM guidelines and consensus were included. Guideline areas with higher scores included recommendations (65.3%), evidence (55.9%), and guideline development groups (54.2%). In the case of consensus, higher scores were observed in recommendations (38.7%), guideline development groups (37.0%), and funding (30.0%). The total score rate of TCM guidelines exceeded that of national guidelines, while the consensus rate was lower. Stratified analysis revealed statistical differences in guideline score rates among journals and issuing institutions, as well as significant differences in consensus score rates among journals, formulation institutions, subjects, and funding categories. Conclusion The quantity and quality of TCM guidelines and consensus are on a positive trajectory, with higher quality levels in guidelines than in consensus. The overall quality of TCM guidelines surpasses that of national guidelines, particularly emphasizing the scientificity of guideline formulation. However, the overall quality of consensus remains lower than that of the national consensus. Factors such as journals, formulation institutions, subjects, and funding categories are identified as potential influences on the quality of TCM guidelines and consensus.
Secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism are common complications in patients with chronic kidney disease, especially in end stage renal disease. Surgery is an important method for the treatment of secondary and tertiary hyperparathyroidism. The American Association of Endocrine Surgeons Guidelines for the Definitive Surgical Management of Secondary and Tertiary Renal Hyperparathyroidism is the first evidence based guideline focus on renal hyperparathyroidism surgical management. Recommendations using the best available evidence by a panel of 10 experts in secondary and tertiary renal hyperparathyroidism constructed this guideline, which provides evidence-based, individual and optimal surgical management of secondary and tertiary renal hyperparathyroidism. This paper made a guideline interpretation on the indications of surgery, imaging examination, preoperative and perioperative management, relevant evaluation and treatment during perioperative period, and intraoperative parathyroid hormone monitoring during operation, and so on.
Integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine has been used to treat acute pancreatitis (AP) for more than 50 years. It has become a dominant and specialized disease treated by integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine. After many years of clinical practice, a relatively mature and complete treatment system has been formed. Therefore, it was proposed by the Chinese Society of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, the Chinese Medical Association, and the Chinese Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine to update and formulate the “Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Pancreatitis with Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine” (2021) group standards in 2022, and “Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Practice Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Pancreatitis” finally published. The guideline condenses 25 kinds of important clinical issues, which guide to explain the diagnosis and treatment of AP in detail, focusing on the integration of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine in the management of AP, such as staging and syndrome differentiation, early fluid therapy, pain management, and organ function support in early stage. The advantages and the timing of early intervention of traditional Chinese medicine in AP are emphasized. This guideline also proposes suggestions on nutritional support, management of causes, treatment of late local complications and infections, as well as prevention of recurrence and follow-up strategies for long-term complications. This paper provides an interpretation of this guideline.
Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) are a group of severe retinal degenerative diseases leading to permanent visual impairment. IRDs are the major cause of irreversible blindness in children and working age groups. Gene therapy is a new clinical treatment method and currently the only clear and effective treatment for IRDs, while, there are still risks in clinical research and application. How to standardize perioperative management and reduce the potential risks of treatment is one of the keys to ensure the safety and effectiveness of treatment. However, there is no systematic and standardized guidance on the perioperative management for IRDs gene therapy. Therefore, in order to standardize the perioperative management, the Fundus Disease Group of Ophthalmology Society of Chinese Medical Association and Chinese Medical Doctor Association organized domestic experts to put forward standardized opinions on the perioperative management of IRDs gene therapy in China after repeated discussion and combined with domestic and foreign research experience, so as to provide clinicians with reference and application in clinical research and practice.
ObjectiveTo compare the recommended medicines of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases guidelines, expert consensus, or diagnosis and treatment specifications with essential medicines from the 2023 World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines (WHO-EML) and the 2018 National Essential Medicine List (NEML) in differences and similarities. MethodsSix guideline websites and one association website including Guidelines International Network and National Guideline Clearinghouse, etc. were searched from inception to July 2023. The latest cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases guidelines, expert consensus, diagnosis and treatment specifications involving medicine treatment were included, and we extracted the data (year, title, target disease, authors and recommended medicines), and the statistical analysis of recommended medicines included in the WHO-EML and NEML was performed by Excel 2016. ResultsA total of 83 guidelines, expert consensus, and diagnosis and treatment specifications were included, covering cerebrovascular diseases, ischemic heart diseases, hypertensive diseases, chronic rheumatic heart diseases, diseases of arteries, arterioles and capillaries and other unspecified circulatory system disorders. They were issued from 2002 to 2023. Fifty-five (66.3%) were published in the past 5 years. For the 246 recommended medicines, they were divided into 14 categories according to the pharmacological effect. 27.2% (67/246) were included in WHO-EML and 32.9% (81/246) were included in NEML, among which 41 medicines were included both in WHO-EML and NEML, 40 in NEML only, 26 in WHO-EML only, and 139 in neither. The number of excluded medicines in antihypertensive medicines, lipid-regulating medicines and antiatherosclerotic medicines and anticoagulants exceeded 10. ConclusionThe number of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease guidelines, expert consensus, and diagnosis and treatment specifications recommended for WHO-EML and NEML is lower than 50%, and the coverage rate of NEML for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease guidelines recommended treatment medicines is higher than that of WHO-EML.
ObjectiveTo explore impact factors related to the clinical applicability of guidelines, and provide suggestions for better development and implementation of guidelines. MethodsThe CNKI database was electronically searched to collect clinical guidelines issued by the Chinese Medical Association and the Chinese Medical Doctor Association from 2015 to 2020. Sixty-one guidelines were randomly selected from included guidelines and each guideline was evaluated by medical staff from three regions using the instrument for evaluating clinical applicability of guidelines (version 2.0). Statistical data were described, and t-test or rank sum test or chi-square test were used for comparison between groups. The impact factors were screened by stepwise logistic regression analysis. ResultsA total of 6 904 valid questionnaires were collected from 119 medical institutions in 26 provinces of China. The more familiar with the guidelines and the more consistent with the wishes of patients or their families, the overall standardized score of the clinical applicability of guidelines would be higher. In addition, the more familiar with the guidelines, the standardized scores in each field would be higher. The higher emphasis on guidelines compliance, the higher the feasibility standardized score. ConclusionIn order to improve the clinical applicability of guidelines, developers should pay attention to whether the recommendations are consistent with the wishes of patients or their families. Then, medical institutions should pay attention to the compliance of guidelines. Finally, medical personnel should be familiar with the recommendations.
In November 2019, the American Heart Association updated guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and emergency cardiovascular care. This update is not a comprehensive revision of the 2015 version. The updates for children and newborns mainly include three aspects: ① Pediatric basic life support: A. It is recommended that emergency medical dispatch centers offer dispatcher-assisted CPR instructions for presumed pediatric cardiac arrest. B. It is recommended that emergency dispatchers provide CPR instructions for pediatric cardiac arrest when no bystander CPR is in progress. ② Pediatric advanced life support: A. The bag-mask ventilation is reasonable compared with advanced airway interventions (endotracheal intubation or supraglottic airway) in the management of children during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). B. The extracorporeal CPR may be considered for pediatric patients with cardiac diagnoses who have in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) in settings with existing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation protocols, expertise, and equipment. C. Continuous measurement of core temperature during targeted temperature management is recommended; for infants or children between 24 hours and 18 years of age who remain comatose after OHCA or IHCA, targeted temperature management is recommened. ③ Neonatal resuscitation: A. In term and late-preterm newborns (≥35 weeks of gestation) receiving respiratory support at birth, the initial use of 21% oxygen is reasonable. B. One hundred percent oxygen should not be used to initiate resuscitation because it is associated with excess mortality. C. In preterm newborns (<35 weeks of gestation) receiving respiratory support at birth, it may be reasonable to begin with 21% to 30% oxygen.
The publication of the 2016 version of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines is a further step to the treatment of sepsis worldwide. This version of guidelines approves new definition of Sepsis-3. Overall, the new guidelines do not change the previous principle of treatment significantly. Some detailed and specific modifications have been made. Understanding and rational use of the new guidelines based on clinical practice, are the key to managing sepsis and performing accurate and effective treatment.
To promote the accessibility and application of guidelines, it is necessary to establish a professional guideline database to adapt to the rapid growth of TCM clinical practice guidelines. This study described the framework design, technology module, information management, and quality control of the clinical practice guideline database of traditional Chinese medicine (G-TCM). G-TCM had included 658 TCM clinical practice guidelines, which would provide a platform for clinicians, researchers, guideline makers (revision), and evaluators to quickly query and obtain clinical guideline information, and play a supporting role in promoting the standardization and accessibility of TCM clinical practice guidelines and better guiding clinical practice.
Rapidly advancing demographic aging in China has led to an increasing prevalence of terminal patients suffering from malignant tumors and chronic diseases, thereby escalating the demand for palliative care services. Palliative care is a multidisciplinary comprehensive management model for patients in the terminal stage and at the end of life. It aims to effectively alleviate the patients' painful symptoms, improve their quality of life, and ensure their comfortable and dignified departure. Symptom control is at the core of palliative care, and rational drug use is the foundation of symptom control. The complexity of physical and psychological factors in terminal patients and the ethical background pose significant challenges to rational drug use. In addition, elderly hospice patients usually suffer from multiple diseases, and their physiological functions decline, resulting in specific pharmacokinetics and reactivity, which undoubtedly increases the complexity of medical decision-making, making doctors often face multiple medication challenges during the treatment process, which in turn poses potential drug treatment risks. Based on current evidence, a multidisciplinary team led by geriatricians registered and drafted the "Protocol for Medication Guideline for Symptom Management in Elderly Hospice Care (2025)". This paper provides a detailed introduction to the planning process for the development of the guidelines.