Critical Evaluation of the 2016 SOSORT Clinical Guidelines on the Detection and Clinical Management of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Using the AGREE II Tool: A Chiropractic Perspective

Objective

The objective of this study is to assess the methodological quality of the 2016 Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment (SOSORT) guidelines for the detection and management of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Methods

A diverse group of experts, including practicing chiropractors, chiropractors with a Diplomate by the American Chiropractic Board of Radiology, chiropractors with PhD degrees, and chiropractors involved in teaching within chiropractic programs was invited to participate in the study. Experts independently evaluated the guidelines using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II tool. Individual scaled scores were calculated for each item and the 6 domains, with methodological quality considered good if the score was equal to or greater than 70%.

Results

The 19 experts, including 6 clinicians, 4 chiropractic radiologists, 6 researchers, and 3 lecturers, represented Canada (n = 3), United states (n = 4), France (n = 2), Australia (n = 1), United Kingdom (n = 1), Switzerland (n = 1), Sweden (n = 3), Denmark (n = 2), China (n = 1), and Côte d'Ivoire (n = 1). Domain scaled scores ranged from 38% to 90%. The 4 items of the applicability domain scored between 26% and 45%. The experts made suggestions for improving the applicability of the guidelines’ recommendations.

Conclusion

The methodological quality of the 2016 SOSORT clinical practice guidelines was deemed good. However, strategies should be devised to improve their applicability. This could be achieved by involving a more diverse representation of healthcare professions in the development of future guidelines.