The Agree Trust
Since its original release in 2003, the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) Instrument has advanced the science of practice guidelines (PG) appraisal and quickly became the international gold standard for PG evaluation and development. The AGREE Instrument has been translated into many languages, endorsed by several organizations (e.g., National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence), and used by many development groups (e.g., WHO Advisory Committee on Health Research). The original AGREE paper has had a wide impact; an analysis of the ISI Web of Science found that between its publication in 2003 and December 2008, there were 139 citations, with its number increasing every year.
As with any new assessment tool, and based on the published experience of its users, it was recognized that ongoing development and refinement of the instrument was required. A group of international researchers and developers, the AGREE Next Steps Consortium, came together to advance this agenda. The results of these efforts are the AGREE II, which includes a new User's Manual. The AGREE II consists of 23 items grouped into the same six domains as in the original AGREE Instrument and has a new 7-point scale. Approximately one third of the items have been modified, domain structures have been altered, and an extensive restructuring of the User's Manual was undertaken. The AGREE II is the new gold standard for PG development, reporting, and evaluation and is slated for official release in April 2010 (post-journal publication).
The AGREE II Scientific Office currently has two projects underway: (1) AGREE Appropriateness, Application, Action (AGREE A3) Research Project, and (2) The AGREE Research Trust (ART) Website Redevelopment Project. If you are conducting research using the AGREE Instrument and would like your research information posted on our website, please contact us. For information on previous projects the AGREE II Scientific Office has conducted, please click here.
AGREE Appropriateness, Application, Action (AGREE A3) Research Project |
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A new research program is currently underway to further advance the PG scientific enterprise and to facilitate the application of PG to improve the quality of care. The project is entitled, AGREE Application, Appropriatenes, Action (AGREE A3) and is being led by another team of international researchers, the AGREE A3 Research Team. The project is also supported by a strong list of international collaborators, most of whom are leaders of PG development groups. The AGREE A3 Research Project comprises two research streams with unique research objectives. The first stream, AGREE Application & Action, is underway and involves key PG user groups (guideline developers and researchers, clinicians, and healthcare decision/policy makers) testing various strategies to promote the new AGREE II. The second stream of the AGREE A3 Research Project, AGREE Appropriateness & Action, is scheduled to begin Summer 2010. For Stream II, we aim to develop a new tool to assess the clinical validity or appropriateness of PG recommendations. This new tool would accompany the new AGREE II tool. We are interested in obtaining feedback and perspectives from guideline developers, researchers, clinicians, healthcare decision/policy makers, and trainees regarding to accurately define this concept, to assist in generating items to assess this concept and to test the beta versions of the new tool. |
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We welcome your participation and the participation of your colleagues in Stream II of the AGREE A3 Research Project. Please click here to contact the AGREE II Scientific Office directly. |
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The AGREE A3 Research Project is funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research and has received ethics approval by the Hamilon Health Sciences/McMaster University Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Board. |
The AGREE Research Trust (ART) Website Redevelopment Project |
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Building on the original AGREE Research Trust (ART) Website, we seek to significantly restructure and expand the website in order to facilitate ongoing communication with all intended user groups of the AGREE. Throughout this project, our website users are key to understanding what purpose the new website will serve. The ART Redevelopment Research Team would love to hear from you on how we can improve the ART Website to better meet your needs. Please let us know of what additional services/information you would like to find on the website. Thank you in advance for your consideration. |
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We would like to hear from our website users to help us improve the website to better meet your needs. |
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The AGREE REsearch Trust Website Redevelopment Project is funded by the Canadian Institute for Health Research. |
If you are interested in learning about previous projects, please click here.
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