Clinical Practice Guidelines in an Era of Accountability, Saudi Arabia: A Call for Action

Introduction: Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) development and implementation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are suboptimal. The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 envisages a transformational change to achieve an effective, integrated, value-based ecosystem focused on patient health. Objectives: This study aimed to develop a CPG appraisal tool that will support the realization of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 through the development of high-quality and highly implementable CPGs. To maximize its impact, all vital healthcare paradigms, such as systems thinking, value-based healthcare, and information technology, will robustly be incorporated in the tool. Methods: The Saudi Health Council through its National Center of Evidence-Based Medicine (NCEBM) embarked on a program to develop this appraisal tool. A taskforce of experts was selected based on their experience in evidence-based practice and training. The task force, through a methodology of extensive literature review, deliberation, outside experts’ feedback, and Delphi and consensus voting, developed a prototype appraisal tool that was named the Holistic Appraisal Tool for CPGs (HAT-CPG). Results: The HAT-CPG was developed comprising three sections: an initial basic information section, an internal validity section, and an external validity section with a total of 13 section items and 73 reporting elements. Conclusion: It is envisaged that the Holistic Appraisal Tool will support CPG developers and users in Saudi Arabia in realizing the objectives for which it was developed.