title: Clinical practice guidelines for the management of neuropathic pain: a systematic review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The management of neuropathic pain (NP) is challenging despite it being the recent focus of extensive research. A number of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for the management of NP have been published worldwide over the past 2 decades. This study aimed to assess the quality of these CPGs.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a systematic review of published CPGs for the management of NP. Three reviewers independently assessed the quality of the CPGs using the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation II (AGREE-II) instrument, and recommendations of CPGs were also appraised.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 16 CPGs were included. Thirteen CPGs were developed using an evidence-based approach, and the remaining CPGs were produced by consensus panels. None of CPGs obtained a score greater than 50% in all six AGREE II instrument domains mainly owing to poor performance in the "Applicability" domain. The highest score of the CPGs was achieved in "Clarity and Presentation" domain, followed by "Scope and Purpose" and "Editorial Independence" domains, and the lowest scores were found the in "Applicability" domain. The majority of the CPG recommendations on the management of patients with NP were relatively consistent, especially regarding the recommendation of stepwise treatment with medication.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Greater efforts are needed not only to improve the quality of development and presentation of the CPGs, but also to provide more efficacy evidence for the management of patients with NP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Guizhou Province People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China. 258380648@qq.com.|Department of Anesthesiology, Translational Neuroscience Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610000, China. 258380648@qq.com.
authors.forename: Yunkun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Research and Education, Guizhou Province People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China. 292443736@qq.com.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Department of Research and Education, Guizhou Province People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China. chuanxu7710@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Yuhuai
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Guizhou Province People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China. hongm7710@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Kaiyun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Translational Neuroscience Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610000, China. liujin7710@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002186:Cannabinoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D002186:Cannabinoids