Department of Health Services Research, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Faculty of Sciences and Medical Sciences, Lebanese University, Hadath, Lebanon.
Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2022 Apr 22;38(1):e35. doi: 10.1017/S0266462322000186.
To review the development of economic evaluation guidelines (EEGs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with the goal of assisting those developing EEGs in LMICs.
We conducted a systematic search in MEDLINE (Ovid), PubMed, EconLit, Embase (Ovid), the Cochrane Library, and the gray literature until March 2021. We extracted data on the methods used in the EEG development process, the responsible party engaged, and the development team's composition. We conducted a quality assessment, using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation-Health Systems tool, and then carried out a relative comparison.
Fourteen EEGs and nine studies were identified. In ten countries, the Ministry of Health was responsible for handling the development process. The majority of LMICs who developed EEGs did not explicitly report the discipline of those involved in the process. The developers of EEGs followed four main steps: conducting a review on national guidelines, organizing workshops, and getting support from international experts or from organizations. One-third of the identified EEGs failed to engage multisectoral or multidisciplinary developers, and approximately 14 percent did not follow or report any recommended step.
This study identified a scarcity of published information related to the development process and the suboptimal quality of included studies. It provides relevant material to support international organizations and developers of guidelines in LMICs in developing EEGs that fit their national context. In addition, this paper recommends a transparent approach to the design of guidelines and to reporting on the methods for developing them.
回顾中低收入国家（LMICs）经济评估指南（EEGs）的发展情况，旨在为那些在 LMICs 中开发 EEG 的人提供帮助。
我们在 MEDLINE（Ovid）、PubMed、EconLit、Embase（Ovid）、Cochrane 图书馆和灰色文献中进行了系统搜索，截至 2021 年 3 月。我们提取了 EEG 开发过程中使用的方法、负责方和开发团队组成的数据。我们使用评估研究和评估-卫生系统工具进行了质量评估，然后进行了相对比较。
确定了 14 份 EEG 和 9 项研究。在十个国家中，卫生部负责处理开发过程。大多数开发 EEG 的 LMIC 没有明确报告参与该过程的人员的学科背景。EEG 的开发者遵循了四个主要步骤：对国家指南进行审查、组织研讨会，并从国际专家或组织那里获得支持。三分之一的已识别 EEG 未能吸引多部门或多学科的开发者，约 14%的 EEG 没有遵循或报告任何推荐步骤。
本研究发现，与开发过程相关的已发表信息稀缺，且所纳入研究的质量欠佳。它为国际组织和指南开发者在 LMICs 中开发适合其国家背景的 EEG 提供了相关材料。此外，本文建议采用透明的方法来设计指南，并报告开发方法。
