Evidence mapping of clinical practice guidelines recommendations and quality for depression in children and adolescents

This study systematically reviewed the clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for depression in children and adolescents and assessed the quality and recommendation consistency of those CPGs. Evidence mapping was presented to illustrate the research trends and identify gaps to guide future research. Literature on CPGs for depression was systematically collected from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, guideline databases, and psychiatric association/ society websites. The basic information, recommendations, methodological quality, and reporting quality of CPGs were extracted, and the supporting evidence strength for the included CPGs was analyzed in Excel. Four appraisers independently assessed the eligible CPGs using AGREE II instrument and the RIGHT checklist. All recommendations from the CPGs were summarized and analyzed, and the evidence mapping bubble charts were plotted in Excel. After excluding 15,184 records, 12 depression CPGs were eventually proved eligible, six of which were of high quality and six medium quality. A total of 39 major recommendations were summarized, 35 of which were supported by high-quality CPGs. Although direct comparisons are challenging due to differences in grading schemes and research quality, most CPGs share many pivotal recommendations that can help guide clinical practice. However, the evidence for some clinical problems is still lacking. Thus, more research is necessary on the screening and treatment of children and adolescents to put forward more evidence-based and high-quality recommendations.