NICE guideline on ME/CFS: robust advice based on a thorough review of the evidence.

In 2021, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence produced an evidence-based guideline on the diagnosis and management of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a disabling long-term condition of unknown cause. The guideline provides clear support for people living with ME/CFS, their families and carers, and for clinicians. A recent opinion piece published in the journal suggested that there were anomalies in the processing and interpretation of the evidence when developing the guideline and proposed eight areas where these anomalies were thought to have occurred.

Core outcome sets through the healthcare ecosystem: the case of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Background: It is increasingly accepted that insufficient attention has been given to the patient health outcomes that are important to measure in comparative effectiveness research that will inform decision-making. The relationship between outcomes chosen for comparative effectiveness research, outcomes used in decision-making in routine care, and outcome data recorded in electronic health records (EHR) is also poorly understood. The COMET Initiative (http://www.

Topical capsaicin (high concentration) for chronic neuropathic pain in adults.

Background: This review is an update of 'Topical capsaicin (high concentration) for chronic neuropathic pain in adults' last updated in Issue 2, 2013. Topical creams with capsaicin are used to treat peripheral neuropathic pain. Following application to the skin, capsaicin causes enhanced sensitivity, followed by a period with reduced sensitivity and, after repeated applications, persistent desensitisation.

Median life span of a cohort of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidelines was about 60 months.

Objectives: To describe the length of time National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines have remained valid.

Study Design And Setting: The present study is a survival analysis of a cohort of published NICE clinical guidelines. The National Health Service in England and Wales uses NICE clinical practice guidelines as a reference for treatment and care of individuals.

Topical capsaicin (high concentration) for chronic neuropathic pain in adults.

Background: Topical creams with capsaicin are used to treat peripheral neuropathic pain. Following application to the skin capsaicin causes enhanced sensitivity, followed by a period with reduced sensitivity and, after repeated applications, persistent desensitisation. High-concentration (8%) capsaicin patches were developed to increase the amount of capsaicin delivered; rapid delivery was thought to improve tolerability because cutaneous nociceptors are 'defunctionalised' quickly.

Introducing GRADE across the NICE clinical guideline program.

Objectives: Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) is a system for rating the confidence in estimates of effect and grading guideline recommendations. It promotes evaluation of the quality of the evidence for each outcome and an assessment of balance between desirable and undesirable outcomes leading to a judgment about the strength of the recommendation. In 2007, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence began introducing GRADE across its clinical guideline program to enable separation of judgments about the evidence quality from judgments about the strength of the recommendation.

Use of qualitative research as evidence in the clinical guideline program of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Aim: To describe the use of qualitative research as evidence in a national clinical guideline program (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence - NICE, UK) and to identify training needs for guideline developers.

Methods: All published NICE clinical guidelines from December 2002 to June 2007 were reviewed to determine whether qualitative studies were considered as evidence in the development of recommendations and how this type of evidence had been used. Developers of clinical guidelines due to be published between July 2007 and March 2008 were asked to describe their training needs regarding the use of qualitative research in clinical guidelines.