title: [Evaluation of the AFSSAPS clinical practice guidelines on prevention and treatment of thrombo-embolic disease in medicine (2009), in comparison with those of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP 2008) with the help of the AGREE tool].
abstract: We have evaluated the methodological quality of the AFSSAPS French clinical practice guidelines on prevention and treatment of thrombo-embolic disease in medicine, published in 2009. We have evaluated in parallel the similar recommendations from north-America on the subject (ACCP 2008). Our evaluation tool was the AGREE instrument which is consensual at an international level, in particular at the WHO (World Health Organisation) and at the European Union. The methodological quality of the AFSSAPS guidelines is sub-optimal, significantly lower than that of the ACCP guidelines. Compared with the ACCP guidelines, the weakest points of the AFSSAPS guidelines are about rigor of development (AGREE domain 3), applicability (AGREE domain 5) and editorial independence (AGREE domain 6). The main common shortcoming in quality of both guidelines is about lack of stakeholder involvement (AGREE domain 2). A more important implication of methodologists might explain why the ACCP guidelines reach a higher level of quality than those of the AFSSAPS guidelines. We do not make judgments about the content of the recommendations of the AFSSAPS or of the ACCP.
authors.affiliation: Service de biochimie, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Augereau
authors.forename: Jean Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Couaillac
authors.forename: Michèle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fonfrède
authors.forename: Jean Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Lepargneur
authors.forename: Anton
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szymanowicz
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Watine
mesh_terms: D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D014481:United States