Critical appraisal of the WHO Malaria Clinical Practice Guideline using the AGREE II instrument
Keywords:
malaria, clinical practice guideline, Appraisal of Guidelines for Research, AGREE II
Abstract
Aim: To critically assess the methodological quality of the World Health Organization's Clinical Practice Guideline for malaria.
Methodology: Three reviewers independently used the AGREE II instrument to assess the methodological quality of the Clinical Practice Guideline for malaria. Ratings were collected and analyzed in an EXCEL matrix. The Fleiss Kappa coefficient of concordance was used to determine the measure of inter-rater agreement.
Results: The Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) excelled in clarity, objectives, and participation of those involved, but identified areas for improvement in rigor of elaboration and applicability. With high scores in most domains and good management of editorial independence, its use is recommended despite challenges in practical implementation.
Conclusions: The AGREE II assessment of the WHO Malaria 2022 Guideline highlights its quality and clarity, but notes areas for improvement in methodology and applicability. It underlines the need for local adaptation and collaboration to continuously update the recommendations.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
World Health Organization. World malaria report 2023. Geneva; 2023.
2. Varo R, Chaccour C, Bassat Q. Update on malaria. Med Clin (Barc). 2020 Nov;155(9):395–402.
3. Menard D, Dondorp A. Antimalarial Drug Resistance: A Threat to Malaria Elimination. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2017 Jul;7(7):a025619.
4. World Health Organization. Artemisinin resistance and artemisinin-based combination therapy efficacy. Geneva; 2018.
5. Ariey F, Witkowski B, Amaratunga C, Beghain J, Langlois AC, Khim N, et al. A molecular marker of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Nature. 2014 Jan 18;505(7481):50–5.
6. Ranson H, Lissenden N. Insecticide Resistance in African Anopheles Mosquitoes: A Worsening Situation that Needs Urgent Action to Maintain Malaria Control. Trends Parasitol. 2016 Mar;32(3):187–96.
7. Lubinda J, Haque U, Bi Y, Shad MY, Keellings D, Hamainza B, et al. Climate change and the dynamics of age-related malaria incidence in Southern Africa. Environ Res. 2021 Jun;197:111017.
8. Kulkarni MA, Duguay C, Ost K. Charting the evidence for climate change impacts on the global spread of malaria and dengue and adaptive responses: a scoping review of reviews. Global Health. 2022 Dec 3;18(1):1.
9. Kelly GC, Tanner M, Vallely A, Clements A. Malaria elimination: moving forward with spatial decision support systems. Trends Parasitol. 2012 Jul;28(7):297–304.
10. Barclay VC, Smith RA, Findeis JL. Surveillance considerations for malaria elimination. Malar J. 2012 Dec 31;11(1):304.
11. Takken W, Lindsay S. Increased Threat of Urban Malaria from Anopheles stephensi Mosquitoes, Africa. Emerg Infect Dis. 2019 Jul;25(7):1431–3.
12. Abubakr M, Sami H, Mahdi I, Altahir O, Abdelbagi H, Mohamed NS, et al. The Phylodynamic and Spread of the Invasive Asian Malaria Vectors, Anopheles stephensi, in Sudan. Biology (Basel). 2022 Mar 7;11(3):409.
13. Russell TL, Farlow R, Min M, Espino E, Mnzava A, Burkot TR. Capacity of National Malaria Control Programmes to implement vector surveillance: a global analysis. Malar J. 2020 Dec 23;19(1):422.
14. Mnzava A, Monroe AC, Okumu F. Anopheles stephensi in Africa requires a more integrated response. Malar J. 2022 Dec 31;21(1):156.
15. WHO Guidelines for malaria, 31 March 2022. Geneva; 2022.
16. AGREE Next Steps Consortium. The AGREE II Instrument [Electronic version]. 2017.
17. AGREE Collaboration. Development and validation of an international appraisal instrument for assessing the quality of clinical practice guidelines: the AGREE project. Qual Saf Health Care. 2003 Feb 1;12(1):18–23.
18. Brouwers MC, Kho ME, Browman GP, Burgers JS, Cluzeau F, Feder G, et al. AGREE II: advancing guideline development, reporting and evaluation in health care. Can Med Assoc J. 2010 Dec 14;182(18):E839–42.
19. Brouwers MC, Kho ME, Browman GP, Burgers JS, Cluzeau F, Feder G, et al. Development of the AGREE II, part 1: performance, usefulness and areas for improvement. Can Med Assoc J. 2010 Jul 13;182(10):1045–52.
20. Brouwers MC, Kho ME, Browman GP, Burgers JS, Cluzeau F, Feder G, et al. Development of the AGREE II, part 2: assessment of validity of items and tools to support application. Can Med Assoc J. 2010 Jul 13;182(10):E472–8.
21. Simancas‐Racines D, Montero‐Oleas N, Vernooij RWM, Arevalo‐Rodriguez I, Fuentes P, Gich I, et al. Quality of clinical practice guidelines about red blood cell transfusion. J Evid Based Med. 2019 May 3;12(2):113–24.
22. Delgado-Noguera M, Tort S, Bonfill X, Gich I, Alonso-Coello P. Quality assessment of clinical practice guidelines for the prevention and treatment of childhood overweight and obesity. Eur J Pediatr. 2009 Jul 25;168(7):789–99.
23. Barajas-Nava L, Sola I, Delgado-Noguera M, Gich I, Villagran CO, Bonfill X, et al. Quality assessment of clinical practice guidelines in perioperative care: a systematic appraisal. BMJ Qual Saf. 2010 Dec 1;19(6):e50–e50.
24. Acuña-Izcaray A, Sánchez-Angarita E, Plaza V, Rodrigo G, de Oca MM, Gich I, et al. Quality Assessment of Asthma Clinical Practice Guidelines. Chest. 2013 Aug;144(2):390–7.
25. Serón P, Lanas F, Ríos E, Bonfill X, Alonso-Coello P. Evaluation of the Quality of Clinical Guidelines for Cardiac Rehabilitation. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev. 2015 Jan;35(1):1–12.
26. Alonso-Coello P, Irfan A, Solà I, Gich I, Delgado-Noguera M, Rigau D, et al. The quality of clinical practice guidelines over the last two decades: a systematic review of guideline appraisal studies. Qual Saf Health Care. 2010 Dec;19(6):e58.
2. Varo R, Chaccour C, Bassat Q. Update on malaria. Med Clin (Barc). 2020 Nov;155(9):395–402.
3. Menard D, Dondorp A. Antimalarial Drug Resistance: A Threat to Malaria Elimination. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2017 Jul;7(7):a025619.
4. World Health Organization. Artemisinin resistance and artemisinin-based combination therapy efficacy. Geneva; 2018.
5. Ariey F, Witkowski B, Amaratunga C, Beghain J, Langlois AC, Khim N, et al. A molecular marker of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Nature. 2014 Jan 18;505(7481):50–5.
6. Ranson H, Lissenden N. Insecticide Resistance in African Anopheles Mosquitoes: A Worsening Situation that Needs Urgent Action to Maintain Malaria Control. Trends Parasitol. 2016 Mar;32(3):187–96.
7. Lubinda J, Haque U, Bi Y, Shad MY, Keellings D, Hamainza B, et al. Climate change and the dynamics of age-related malaria incidence in Southern Africa. Environ Res. 2021 Jun;197:111017.
8. Kulkarni MA, Duguay C, Ost K. Charting the evidence for climate change impacts on the global spread of malaria and dengue and adaptive responses: a scoping review of reviews. Global Health. 2022 Dec 3;18(1):1.
9. Kelly GC, Tanner M, Vallely A, Clements A. Malaria elimination: moving forward with spatial decision support systems. Trends Parasitol. 2012 Jul;28(7):297–304.
10. Barclay VC, Smith RA, Findeis JL. Surveillance considerations for malaria elimination. Malar J. 2012 Dec 31;11(1):304.
11. Takken W, Lindsay S. Increased Threat of Urban Malaria from Anopheles stephensi Mosquitoes, Africa. Emerg Infect Dis. 2019 Jul;25(7):1431–3.
12. Abubakr M, Sami H, Mahdi I, Altahir O, Abdelbagi H, Mohamed NS, et al. The Phylodynamic and Spread of the Invasive Asian Malaria Vectors, Anopheles stephensi, in Sudan. Biology (Basel). 2022 Mar 7;11(3):409.
13. Russell TL, Farlow R, Min M, Espino E, Mnzava A, Burkot TR. Capacity of National Malaria Control Programmes to implement vector surveillance: a global analysis. Malar J. 2020 Dec 23;19(1):422.
14. Mnzava A, Monroe AC, Okumu F. Anopheles stephensi in Africa requires a more integrated response. Malar J. 2022 Dec 31;21(1):156.
15. WHO Guidelines for malaria, 31 March 2022. Geneva; 2022.
16. AGREE Next Steps Consortium. The AGREE II Instrument [Electronic version]. 2017.
17. AGREE Collaboration. Development and validation of an international appraisal instrument for assessing the quality of clinical practice guidelines: the AGREE project. Qual Saf Health Care. 2003 Feb 1;12(1):18–23.
18. Brouwers MC, Kho ME, Browman GP, Burgers JS, Cluzeau F, Feder G, et al. AGREE II: advancing guideline development, reporting and evaluation in health care. Can Med Assoc J. 2010 Dec 14;182(18):E839–42.
19. Brouwers MC, Kho ME, Browman GP, Burgers JS, Cluzeau F, Feder G, et al. Development of the AGREE II, part 1: performance, usefulness and areas for improvement. Can Med Assoc J. 2010 Jul 13;182(10):1045–52.
20. Brouwers MC, Kho ME, Browman GP, Burgers JS, Cluzeau F, Feder G, et al. Development of the AGREE II, part 2: assessment of validity of items and tools to support application. Can Med Assoc J. 2010 Jul 13;182(10):E472–8.
21. Simancas‐Racines D, Montero‐Oleas N, Vernooij RWM, Arevalo‐Rodriguez I, Fuentes P, Gich I, et al. Quality of clinical practice guidelines about red blood cell transfusion. J Evid Based Med. 2019 May 3;12(2):113–24.
22. Delgado-Noguera M, Tort S, Bonfill X, Gich I, Alonso-Coello P. Quality assessment of clinical practice guidelines for the prevention and treatment of childhood overweight and obesity. Eur J Pediatr. 2009 Jul 25;168(7):789–99.
23. Barajas-Nava L, Sola I, Delgado-Noguera M, Gich I, Villagran CO, Bonfill X, et al. Quality assessment of clinical practice guidelines in perioperative care: a systematic appraisal. BMJ Qual Saf. 2010 Dec 1;19(6):e50–e50.
24. Acuña-Izcaray A, Sánchez-Angarita E, Plaza V, Rodrigo G, de Oca MM, Gich I, et al. Quality Assessment of Asthma Clinical Practice Guidelines. Chest. 2013 Aug;144(2):390–7.
25. Serón P, Lanas F, Ríos E, Bonfill X, Alonso-Coello P. Evaluation of the Quality of Clinical Guidelines for Cardiac Rehabilitation. J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev. 2015 Jan;35(1):1–12.
26. Alonso-Coello P, Irfan A, Solà I, Gich I, Delgado-Noguera M, Rigau D, et al. The quality of clinical practice guidelines over the last two decades: a systematic review of guideline appraisal studies. Qual Saf Health Care. 2010 Dec;19(6):e58.
Published
2024-02-25
How to Cite
1.
Reytor-González C, Simancas-Racines D, Viteri-García A, Parise-Vasco JM. Critical appraisal of the WHO Malaria Clinical Practice Guideline using the AGREE II instrument. PFR [Internet]. 2024Feb.25 [cited 2025May9];9(1). Available from: https://www.practicafamiliarrural.org/index.php/pfr/article/view/310
Section
Artículos Originales
