Abstract

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are statements that include recommendations intended to optimise patient care. They are informed by a systematic review of evidence and an assessment of the benefits and harms of alternative care options. CPGs are typically created by scientific institutes, organisations and professional societies. High-quality CPGs are fundamental to improve patient outcomes, standardise clinical practice and improve the quality of care. Twin pregnancies are high-risk pregnancies. We aim to conduct a systematic review of the CPGs in this field, as a first step for establishing the required high level of care. We will identify, appraise and examine published CPGs for the antenatal management of dichorionic diamniotic (DCDA) twin pregnancies, within high-income countries. We will appraise the quality of the identified CPGs using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation version 2 (AGREE II) the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation – Recommendations excellence (AGREE-REX) instruments and examine the recommendations from the identified CPGs. This paper outlines the protocol for our systematic review.