ObjectiveTo evaluate the implementability of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) guidelines in the field of paediatrics. MethodsWe searched the paediatrics-related TCM guidelines published in CNKI, WanFang Data, VIP, SinoMed and PubMed databases, and related websites from inception to November 1, 2023. The implementability of the included guidelines was evaluated using the clinical practice guideline implementability assessment tool. ResultsA total of 47 guidelines were included, covering 37 paediatric diseases and recommending 27 TCM therapies, including TCM decoction, Chinese patent medicines, acupuncture, paediatric massage, and acupoints. The results of the guideline accessibility evaluation showed that, in terms of the overall quality of accessibility, 5 guidelines (10.6%) were of high grade, 12 guidelines (25.5%) were of medium grade, and 30 guidelines (63.8%) were of low grade. With the exception of accessibility (multi-channel access methods) and communicability, which was of high quality, there is room for improvement in all areas, particularly in the areas of applicability and ease of recognition. ConclusionThe overall quality of implementability of the included paediatric TCM guidelines was low, and it is recommended that in the process of developing paediatric TCM guidelines in the future, we focus on improving the quality of implementability of the guidelines themselves from the source, so as to promote the implementation and application of the guidelines.
ObjectiveTo explore the items affecting the prioritization of clinical questions and to construct an evaluation scale for prioritizing clinical question of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) guidelines. MethodsLiterature analysis and cognitive interview were used to construct the pool of items for evaluating the prioritization of clinical questions of TCM guidelines, and Delphi methods was used to identify the items to form the evaluation scale. ResultsA total of 47 articles were included in the literature, and the two rounds of Delphi questionnaires had a recovery rate of 72% and 100%, respectively. The mean value of the importance of the items in the first round ranged from 3.78 to 4.78, with a coefficient of variation ranging from 0.09 to 0.30, and the mean value in the second round ranged from 4.06 to 4.72, with a coefficient of variation ranging from 0.09 to 0.29. The evaluation scale for the prioritization of clinical questions of TCM guidelines (first edition) was constructed, which contains 13 entries in 4 dimensions. ConclusionThis study explored the items affecting the prioritization of clinical questions in TCM guidelines and developed a prioritization evaluation scale, which improved the lack of objectivity and interpretability of the current prioritization of clinical questions in TCM guidelines to a certain extent, and strengthened the transparency of the process of selecting clinical issues in TCM guidelines.