Objective To evaluate the published practice guidelines on non-invasive diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis using liver elastography, and interpret the assessment from the perspective of evidence-based methodology.
Methods The related data were collected by two researchers based on the Chinese and English databases until September 1, 2020. The methodological quality of included guidelines was evaluated by 3 reviewers using the AGREE Ⅱ.
Results A total of 9 guidelines were included. The intraclass correlation coefficient of the three researchers was 0.84±0.43, indicating that the overall consistency was good. The median scores of the six domains in AGREE Ⅱ were 78%, 30%, 33%, 81%, 42% and 47%, respectively.
Conclusions The quality of the existing guidelines is uneven, and there are deficiencies in the personnel involved, formulation rigorousness, applicability, and independence of the guidelines. The evidence-based method should be adopted for revisions based on more high-quality clinical research evidences.
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