Clinical practice guidelines for the management of hyperemesis gravidarum: A systematic review and quality appraisal with AGREE II.

Abstract

Nausea, vomiting and hyperemesis in early pregnancy are common in primary care, and hospital care is required in severe cases. The aim of this review is toappraise relevant clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to manage hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) by using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) checklist. A systematic search was conducted employing PubMed, Cochrane and ScienceDirect from inception until May 2021. The quality of four CPGs were evaluated by two appraisers independently using the AGREE II checklist. Four international CPGs that fulfilled thecriteria were included in this review; all scored over 50% according to the AGREE II tool. Applying a modified categorisation standard, CPGs were considered as either 'recommended' or'recommended with modifications'. The synthesis of all four CPGs suggested similar management strategies for HG, with minor differences. Medical practitioners could use the guiding principles of management on the basis ofthe needs of individual patients.