Evaluating the methodological construction of a guideline is one thing, but what about the clinical credibility and implementability of a guideline?

A previous review by Kastner et al 2015 showed that how guidelines are developed and written essentially influences how often they are being used. The review goes through which attributes of a guideline have the potential to improve the clinical uptake. Here, the review amongst others showed that effective communication of the content is essential. The communication of content needs to be fine-tuned to the recipient, using simple, clear language and with the content provided in an easy format.

In the review, the authors present some key concepts, that should be kept in mind when wanting to develop better guidelines. This review further set the stage for the development of a new tool – the AGREE-REX

Coming soon: the AGREE-REX: recommendation EXcellence

The AGREE-REX is a new tool that allows you to evaluate any given recommendation. It is developed to complement the AGREE II tool, that will help you to essentially evaluate the clinical credibility and implementability of recommendations found in guidelines. The working group is currently refining the tool.

It will be exciting to see what the AGREE-REX tool has to offer, once it is officially launched!