Publisher: Wiley Blackwell Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101543738 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1759-2887 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 17592879 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Res Synth Methods Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: : Chichester : Wiley Blackwell
Original Publication: Malden, MA : John Wiley & Sons, 2010-

Practice Guidelines as Topic* ; Qualitative Research*

Guidelines produced by local, national and international bodies underpin clinical practice and healthcare services worldwide. For guidelines to be based on the best available evidence, it is critical that syntheses of both qualitative and quantitative evidence are used to inform decision-making. As methods for qualitative evidence syntheses (QES) develop, they are increasingly able to inform health guideline production. However, the process whereby this form of evidence is considered and incorporated tends to be unclear. This systematic review synthesized existing guidance concerning the use of QES in guideline development. Sources published in English that described or prescribed methods for incorporating QES into evidence-based health guidelines were eligible for inclusion. Seventeen relevant papers were identified. The literature indicates that there is a reasonable consensus about many stages of conducting a QES to inform guideline development. Areas needing further exploration include: the way that committees engage with QES; the usefulness of different QES methodologies; and understanding of how expert committees use evidence. Methods for producing QES for guideline committees tend to be similar to quantitative systematic review methods in terms of searching, quality appraisal, systematic management of data, and presentation of results. While this allows transparency and accountability, it could be argued that it is less "true" to the principles of being led by the data, which are fundamental to most qualitative research. Understanding the process of using QES to produce guidelines is critical to determining their validity and applicability, and to ensure that healthcare provision is based on the best available evidence.
(© 2021 The Authors. Research Synthesis Methods published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

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Keywords: health guidelines; qualitative evidence synthesis; systematic review

Date Created: 20210216 Date Completed: 20211028 Latest Revision: 20220531

20230925

10.1002/jrsm.1483

33591605