European clinical practice guidelines for depression in adults: Are they good enough?

Abstract

Background: Despite the increasing attention given to evidence-based practice, little research has focused on the quality of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) involving psychotherapy. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the quality of national CPGs for psychological treatments for depression in European countries.

Methods: A search of the Guidelines International Network's library was conducted. Four guidelines met inclusion criteria for the study and were assessed using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE-II) platform.

Results: Overall, the guidelines included in the study were found to be of good quality, although two guidelines received low scores for applicability, and some did not provide information on competing interests or potential influences from funding bodies.

Limitations: Although guidelines were retrieved from a well-known international library, some European guidelines for depression published elsewhere may have been overlooked.

Conclusions: Results of this study provide support for the high quality of the guidelines reviewed, but also raise some concerns regarding editorial independence and the applicability of the guidelines, areas that should be the focus of improvement in future versions of these guidelines.

Keywords: Clinical practice guideline; Depression; Evidence-based practice; Mood disorder.