The Appraisal of Guidelines for REsearch & Evaluation (AGREE) Instrument was developed to address the issue of variability in guideline quality. To that end, the AGREE instrument is a tool that assesses the methodological rigour and transparency in which a guideline is developed. The original AGREE instrument was refined, which resulted in the AGREE II, and a User’s Manual was developed.
The purpose of the AGREE II, is to provide a framework to:
1. Assess the quality of guidelines;
2. Provide a methodological strategy for the development of guidelines; and
3. Inform what information and how information ought to be reported in guidelines.
The AGREE II replaces the original instrument as the preferred tool and can be used as part of an overall quality mandate aimed to improve health care.
The AGREE II is generic and can be applied to guidelines in any health or disease area targeting any step in the health care continuum, including those for health promotion, public health, screening, diagnosis, treatment or interventions. It is suitable for guidelines presented in paper or electronic format. The AGREE II has not been designed to assess the quality of guidance documents that address health care organizational issues. Its role in the assessment of health technology assessments has not been formally evaluated.
