Evaluation of all African clinical practice guidelines for hypertension: Quality and opportunities for improvement

Summary
The paper reviews national hypertension guidelines from 62 African countries and evaluates their quality using the AGREE II assessment tool. Of these, only 26 countries had identifiable guidelines. Some were dedicated hypertension guidelines, while others included hypertension within broader treatment documents or were adaptations of WHO/international guidelines. The analysis found that most guidelines were of poor quality, especially in the area of rigorous development. Only one guideline met international standards for development quality, and there was no notable improvement in guidelines published after 2011. The authors conclude that instead of each country producing its own low-quality guideline, it would be more effective to develop fewer, high-quality, evidence-based guidelines that can be locally adapted.