Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), as defined by the Institute of Medicine, are ‘systematically developed statements to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate healthcare for specific clinical circumstances.’15 www.selleckchem.com/products/17-DMAG,Hydrochloride-Salt.html They are an increasingly familiar part of clinical practice and may provide concise guidance on which assessment programmes to order, how to provide medical or surgical interventions, or other details of clinical practice.16 Guideline development is becoming more evidence-based.17 CPGs advocate that the most effective therapies are recommended as suggested by the evidence,

however, the most effective intervention may not be available to all groups within a population. For example, a new therapy

may be effective, but CPG developers need to consider whether it is available (and sufficiently cost-effective) for disadvantaged populations.18 Therefore, CPG developers should discuss whether recommendations can ensure equitable provision of healthcare for the disadvantaged. Regardless of the setting, there is potential for the CPG to introduce inequities. Differences in health outcomes across population groups are possible if equity is not considered in guideline development. CPGs and their recommendations have the potential to create or increase health inequities.19 The inclusion of equity considerations in CPG development and implementation has become increasingly important.20 21 For example, to balance the effective versus efficiency dilemma of CPGs, the National Health Service (NHS) recommends the development of guiding principles to support the pursuit of equity

in healthcare.22 However, incorporating equity into guidelines remains a challenge; the main barriers are methodological and conceptual limitations.20 23 We aimed to review methods for including equity considerations in CPGs in this paper. Present investigation Eligibility criteria Dacomitinib We conducted this review to investigate methodological guidance for including equity in CPGs. Only methodological guidance, guidelines and articles that described when, how and to what extent equity issues could be incorporated in CPGs were included in this review. Types of eligible studies included: guidelines for incorporating equity into CPGs, empirical literature discussing equity-specific methodological issues of CPG development, quantitative or qualitative literature reviews that identify equity-specific methodological elements of CPG development. Information sources and search Relevant studies were obtained from the following sources.