Abstract
The purpose of this study is to evaluate and analyze the quality of guidelines
and expert consensus on clinical practice regarding metabolically associated
fatty liver disease (MAFLD) over the past five years. Data from the websites
were retrieved using computers. We evaluated guidelines and expert consensus on
MAFLD that were officially published between January 1, 2018 and March 24, 2023.
Two evaluators independently examined the literature and extracted data. The
included literature on guidelines and expert consensus was then subjected to
quality review and analysis using assessment tools from Appraisal of Guidelines
for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II and the Joanna Briggs Institute
Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI) (2016). The intraclass
correlation coefficient (ICC) values of all items on the AGREE II scale for the
two evaluators were greater than 0.75, indicating a high degree of agreement
between their assessments. Scope and purpose (48.90%), participants
(49.21%), rigor in the formulation process (56.97%), clarity of
expression (90.08%), applicability (66.08%), and independence of
file compiling (60.12%) were the AGREE II scoring items with the
standardized average scores. Apart from the participants, the average scores of
all the scoring items in the guidelines from other countries other than China
were higher than those from China
(|Z|+>+2.272,
p+<+0.05). MAFLD guidelines must be revised to enhance
their methodological quality. When creating guidelines, it is recommended that
the formulators strictly adhere to the formulation and drafting standards of
AGREE II and elevate the quality of the guidelines.
Key words
expert consensus - guidelines - metabolically associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) - non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) - quality evaluation
