Evidence based clinical practice guidelines for the management of acute ankle injuries according to: PRISMA systematic review and quality appraisal with AGREE II.

Abstract

Abstract Background Acute ankle injuries are a common injury seen in emergency rooms resulting in huge social impact and sometimes devastating consequences. Several clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) related to ankle injuries have been developed by various organizations, but there is a lack of a critical appraisal of them. The purpose of this systematic review is to find and critically appraise evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for EB-CPGs related to acute ankle injuries in adults. Method Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, WHO databases, and 98 worldwide orthopedic association websites were searched until early 2023. Two authors individually employed the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and each EB-CPG was subject to an independent critical appraisal of its content, by four authors, using the Appraisal of Guidelines for REsearch and Evaluation (AGREE II) instrument, and AGREE II scores for each domain were calculated. Results Five evidence-based clinical practice guidelines were included in this review. Mean scores for all six domains were as follows: Scope and Purpose (87.8%), Stakeholder Involvement (69.2%), Rigour of Development (72.5%), Clarity of Presentation (86.9%), Applicability (45.6%), and Editorial Independence (53.3%). Conclusion The overall quality of the existing ankle injuries EB-CPGs is not strong and three of them are out of date. Useful guidance related to Ottawa rules, manual therapy, cryotherapy, functional supports, early ambulation, and rehabilitation have been mentioned. monitoring and/or auditing criteria, the view and preferences of the target population item, and editorial independence are challenge areas and future guidelines should focus on improvements in these domains. Systematic Review: Systematic review.