A critical appraisal of clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

BackgroundDelays in the diagnosis and therapy of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo can greatly impact quality of life and increase healthcare costs for patients. This study aimed to appraise the quality of clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. MethodsA comprehensive database search of clinical practice guidelines was completed up to 30 October 2021. Four independent reviewers used the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II instrument in the quality appraisal. ResultsThe highest score was in 'clarity and presentation' (58.33 +/- 22.7). The lowest score was in 'applicability' (13.96 +/- 30.1). Overall, four clinical practice guidelines were 'low quality' and only one guideline was 'high quality'. ConclusionThis review identified a significant lack of quality in clinical practice guideline development for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, highlighting the need for a more rigorous approach for future guideline development.