Guidelines of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: an overview and quality appraisal using AGREE II

Objectives To appraise the quality of guidelines developed by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) between 2001 and 2015. Study design Cross-sectional. Methods 2 authors independently assessed the quality of IFRC guidelines using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) instrument. Average domain scores were calculated and overall quality scores and recommendation for use were determined. Results Out of 77 identified guidelines, 27 met the inclusion criteria and were assessed. The domains with the highest average scores across guidelines were ‘scope and purpose’, ‘clarity of presentation’ and ‘applicability’. The lowest scoring domains were ‘rigour of development’ and ‘editorial independence’. No guideline can be ‘recommended for immediate use’, 23 guidelines are ‘recommended with modifications’ and 4 guidelines are ‘not recommended’. Conclusions The IFRC produces guidelines that should be adhered to by millions of staff and volunteers in 190 countries. These guidelines should therefore be of high quality. Up until now, the IFRC had no uniform guideline development process. The results of the AGREE II appraisal indicate that the quality of the guidelines needs to be improved.