A protocol for a systematic review of clinical practice guidelines for recurrent miscarriage

Marita Hennessy; Rebecca Dennehy; Sarah Meaney; Declan Devane; Keelin O'Donoghue

doi:10.12688/hrbopenres.13024.3

A protocol for a systematic review of clinical practice guidelines for recurrent miscarriage

HRB Open Res. 2020 Oct 2:3:12. doi: 10.12688/hrbopenres.13024.3. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Marita Hennessy^{1

2

3}, Rebecca Dennehy^{1

2

3}, Sarah Meaney^{1

2

3

4}, Declan Devane^{2

5

6}, Keelin O'Donoghue^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Pregnancy Loss Research Group, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
² The Irish Centre for Maternal and Child Health, University College Cork, Cork University Maternity Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
³ College of Medicine and Health, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
⁴ National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre, University College Cork, Cork University Maternity Hospital, Cork, Ireland.
⁵ School of Nursing and Midwifery, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland.
⁶ Evidence Synthesis Ireland, National University of Ireland, Galway, Galway, Ireland.

Abstract

Recurrent miscarriage (RM) was recently re-defined by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) as the loss of two or more consecutive pregnancies. Before this, and indeed still in some countries, RM was defined as three or more consecutive pregnancy losses. While the incidence of RM depends on the definition employed and population studied, it is generally accepted to affect 1-6% of women of reproductive age. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for RM have been published by some professional organisations. While there are CPGs on miscarriage in Ireland, there are none concerning RM specifically. The aim of this systematic review is to identify, appraise and describe published CPGs for the management, investigation and/or follow-up of RM within high-income countries. Electronic databases (MEDLINE (Ovid ^®; 1946), Embase ^® (Elsevier; 1980), CINAHL Complete (EBSCOhost; 1994), Web of Science™ (Thomson Reuters), Scopus (Elsevier; 2004), and Open Grey (INIST-CNRS; 2011)), selected guideline repositories, and the websites of professional societies will be searched to identify CPGs, published within the last 20 years, for potential inclusion. Two reviewers will review abstracts and full texts independently against the eligibility criteria. Characteristics and recommendations of included CPGs will be extracted by one reviewer and double-checked by another. Two reviewers will use the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation version 2 (AGREE II) instrument independently to assess the quality of the included CPGs. Narrative synthesis will be conducted to appraise and compare CPGs and their recommendations or guidance therein. The identification, appraisal and description of published CPGs in other high-income countries will be a valuable first step in informing efforts to promote the optimisation and standardisation of RM care.

Keywords: antenatal; care quality; clinical guidelines; early pregnancy loss; miscarriage; recurrent miscarriage; systematic review.

Grants and funding

Health Research Board (HRB) Ireland [ILP-HSR-2019-011].