The Quality of European Dermatological Guidelines: Critical Appraisal of the Quality of EDF Guidelines Using the AGREE II Instrument

The document assessed the quality of 25 European Dermatology Forum (EDF) guidelines using the AGREE II instrument and found significant variability in their methodological and reporting quality. Seven guidelines were developed with the highest standard (S3), and these generally received the highest scores, particularly the guidelines on systemic treatment of psoriasis and treatment of androgenetic alopecia, with overall quality ratings of 88% and 83%, respectively. However, the study also found that high methodological quality did not always correlate with recommendations for use, as seen with the androgenetic alopecia guideline, which despite its high score, was recommended without modification by only 50% of assessors. The domains 'clarity of presentation' and 'scope and purpose' scored well across all guidelines, but 'applicability', 'stakeholder involvement', and 'editorial independence' were areas identified as needing improvement. The document concludes that there is a need for methodological harmonization and better reporting to ensure the practical value of the guidelines.