Ewha Med J.  2024 Jul;47(3):e43. 10.12771/emj.2024.e43.

Establishing the Guidelines for Recommendation Reporting (G-RECO): a study protocol for developing reporting guidelines for disease prevention recommendations

• Jung W
• Ryu S
• Ryu SY
• Ha M
• Choi BY
• Kim SY

• KMID: 2558580
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.12771/emj.2024.e43

Abstract

Objectives
The objective of this study was to develop the Guidelines for Recommendation Reporting (G-RECO) for use in the Public Health Weekly Report (PHWR) in Korea, aiming to improve the standardization, scientific accuracy, and practical applicability of recommendation reports in clinical practice guidelines.
Methods
The methodology of this study aligned with the EQUATOR Network standards. A multidisciplinary research committee was formed, comprising experts in various relevant fields. The development process included a comprehensive literature review, analysis of existing guidelines, and formulation of a structured G-RECO framework with 21 key items. This was supplemented with Explanation & Elaboration documents for each item. The draft underwent rigorous revisions and evaluations by both internal and external experts.
Results
By November 2023, significant progress had been made in developing a detailed G-RECO checklist and accompanying E&E documents. These tools are designed to guide authors in clear and consistent reporting of recommendation reports. The team is poised to finalize and publish the checklist and E&E documents by December 2024.
Conclusion
The G-RECO guidelines represent a significant advancement in the formalization and standardization of recommendation reports for the PHWR. They are expected to improve the quality of research and publications in clinical practice guidelines, contributing to the evolution of the field and enriching public health discourse. The guidelines, with their comprehensive nature and user-friendly design, will become an invaluable resource for researchers, editors, and peer reviewers in public health and epidemiology.

Keyword

Recommendation report; Reporting guideline; Study protocol

Reference

References

1. Chen Y, Yang K, Marušic A, Qaseem A, Meerpohl JJ, Flottorp S, et al. A reporting tool for practice guidelines in health care: the RIGHT statement. Ann Intern Med. 2017; 166(2):128–132. DOI: 10.7326/m16-1565. PMID: 27893062.

2. Brouwers MC, Kerkvliet K, Spithoff K. The AGREE Reporting Checklist: a tool to improve reporting of clinical practice guidelines. BMJ. 2016; 352:i1152. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.i1152. PMID: 26957104. PMCID: PMC5118873.

3. Wang X, Chen Y, Akl EA, Tokalić R, Marušić A, Qaseem A, et al. The reporting checklist for public versions of guidelines: RIGHT-PVG. Implement Sci. 2021; 16(1):10. DOI: 10.1186/s13012-020-01066-z. PMID: 33430911. PMCID: PMC7798200.

4. The EQUATOR Network. How to develop a reporting guideline [Internet]. Oxford (UK): The EQUATOR Network;c2018. [cited 2024 May 24]. Available from. https://www.equator-network.org/toolkits/developing-a-reporting-guideline/.

5. Tokalić R, Viđak M, Buljan I, Marušić A. Comparison of RIGHT and AGREE reporting checklists for healthcare practice guidelines. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2018; (9):Suppl 1. 188–189. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD201801.

6. Kim SY. Reporting guidelines. Korean J Fam Med. 2009; 30(1):62. DOI: 10.4082/kjfm.2009.30.1.62.