Abstract
BackgroundPublic or patient versions of guidelines (PVGs) are derivative documents that “translate” recommendations and their rationale from clinical guidelines for health professionals into a more easily understandable and usable format for patients and the public. PVGs from different groups and organizations vary considerably in terms of quality of their reporting. In order to address this issue, we aimed to develop a reporting checklist for developers of PVGs and other potential users.MethodsFirst, we collected a list of potential items through reviewing a sample of PVGs, existing guidance for developing and reporting PVGs or other similar evidence-based patient tools, as well as qualitative studies on original studies of patients’ needs about the content and/or reporting of information in PVGs or similar evidence-based patient tools. Second, we conducted a two-round Delphi consultation to determine the level of consensus on the items to be included in the final reporting checklist. Third, we invited two external reviewers to provide comments on the checklist.ResultsWe generated the initial list of 45 reporting items based on a review of a sample of 30 PVGs, four PVG guidance documents, and 46 relevant studies. After the two-round Delphi consultation, we formed a checklist of 17 items grouped under 12 topics for reporting PVGs.ConclusionThe RIGHT-PVG reporting checklist provides an international consensus on the important criteria for reporting PVGs.
Highlights
The availability of trustworthy health-related information for patients can promote informed and shared decision-making and improve health outcomes [1]
The RIGHT for patient versions of guidelines (PVGs) reporting checklist can help to improve the transparency, consistency, and usability of their guidelines, which may lead to better uptake of clinical guidelines, improved shared decision-making between patients and clinicians, and improved patient health outcomes
We propose that PVGs should describe what actions patients or the public can take by themselves when this is reported in the source guideline, such as eating a balanced diet, reasonable exercising, and adopting other healthy lifestyle behavior
Summary
The availability of trustworthy health-related information for patients can promote informed and shared decision-making and improve health outcomes [1]. Clinical guidelines represent a reliable source of information for health professionals. Public or patient versions of guidelines (PVGs) are derivative documents that “translate” recommendations and their rationale from clinical guidelines for health professionals into a more understandable and usable format for patients and the public. The target populations in PVGs are mainly lay people including patients, their families, and the public [28, 29]. We propose that a PVG should clarify the scope, purpose, and intended use together with the introduction to the topic (item 5.1). Example Health services for people with sarcoma: Understanding NICE guidance—information for the public [15] Parent Information Queensland Clinical Guidelines: Breastfeeding your baby [16].
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