Clinical practice guidelines for the management of patients with complex regional pain syndrome: a systematic appraisal using the AGREE II instrument

Abstract

Aim: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a debilitating, painful condition of limbs that often arises after an injury and is associated with significant morbidity. Materials & methods: The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) instrument, used to assess the quality of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), was used to evaluate seven CRPS management guideline. Results: Out of the seven CPGs evaluated using the AGREE II instrument, only one from Royal College of Physicians was found to have high-quality consensus guidelines for diagnosis and management of CRPS. Conclusion: Future CPGs should be backed by systematic literature searches, focus on guidelines clinical translation into clinical practice and applicability to the desired patient population.