Development of patient versions of guidelines in Chinese mainland: A systematic survey of current practices and methods

Abstract

Objectives: To review current practices and methods underlying the development of patient versions of guidelines (PVGs) in Chinese mainland.

Methods: We systematically searched for PVGs created or published between January 2010 and February 2022. We conducted a framework analysis for the development process and assessed the compliance of PVGs using the Reporting Checklist for Public Versions of Guidelines (RIGHT-PVG).

Results: We identified 26 PVGs developed by 16 PVG-working teams. In accordance with the Guidelines International Network (GIN), only two PVGs were translated using one clinical practice guideline (CPG) provided by the CPG-working group source. Several CPGs and other information sources were integrated and translated into a single PVG by other PVG teams. Moreover, we identified various practices described by different PVG teams that could be structured into six steps. Out of the 17 RIGHT-PVG items, five items were fully reported in all PVGs, while two items ("Provide a summary of the PVG" and "Provide a list of terms and abbreviations") were not reported in any of the PVGs.

Conclusions and practical implications: A relatively small number of PVGs were developed in Chinese mainland. The development of a PVG requires comprehensive methodological guidance based on several CPGs and other sources of information as opposed to only using one.

Keywords: Chinese mainland; Clinical practice guidelines; Patient engagement; Patient involvement; Patient version of guidelines; Survey.