Malawi newborn and child health national clinical practice guidelines: a landscape analysis.

BACKGROUND

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are essential for standardizing healthcare, but their adoption, updating and adaptation remain inconsistent in Malawi. This review evaluated publicly available newborn and child health CPGs from 2017 to 2022, identifying relevant guidelines and assessing their quality using the Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II tool. Key gaps were found in stakeholder involvement and accessibility, highlighting the need to strengthen CPG development and dissemination to improve health outcomes.

METHODS

A total of 322 records were identified through Google Scholar, Google, the Ministry of Health (MOH) website and MOH offices using predetermined search terms. Hand searches were also conducted. The quality of reporting was appraised using the AGREE II tool.

RESULTS

Six CPGs met the eligibility criteria, five covering child health from the perinatal period onwards. CPGs targeted healthcare providers (n=6), program managers (n=2) and researchers (n=2). Topics included prevention, management and treatment. Reporting quality was generally poor, particularly regarding methodological rigour and editorial independence.

CONCLUSIONS

A collaborative effort including the MOH, non-governmental organizations, professional associations and researchers in developing and adapting newborn and child health CPGs could yield large benefits in improving the quality of care of children in Malawi.