Resources

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This is a series of three papers on the use of qualitative evidence synthesis to inform the development of clinical and health systems guidelines, drawing on experience from relevant WHO guidelines.

• The first paper addresses how this evidence can be used to inform guideline scope and to develop qualitative findings statements.
• The second paper examines how this evidence can be used to populate key criteria for decision-making.
• The third paper explores how this evidence can inform the implementation considerations of a guideline.

Throughout the series, the authors explore the strengths and limitations of the described approaches, provide examples of what worked and what was less successful, and make suggestions for improvements. 

Reference to be added.

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WHO handbook for guideline development, Chapter 15: Using evidence from qualitative research to develop WHO guidelines 

In this chapter of the WHO Handbook for guideline development, the authors discuss and describe when evidence from qualitative research can be used in developing a guideline. This includes its use when defining the scope of a guideline, assessing the acceptability of interventions to key stakeholders, assessing the feasibility of interventions or options, identifying the contextual factors to be considered in the course of implementing a guideline’s recommendations, and exploring the effects of different interventions on equity.

An updated version of the chapter is expected in 2026. 

Read Chapter 15 of the WHO Handbook for Guideline Development

The GRADE evidence-to-decision (EtD) Framework helps guideline development group members consider a range of questions about an intervention before reaching a recommendation. Some of these questions can be addressed using qualitative evidence, including those related to an intervention’s acceptability and feasibility.

In this simulation, participants role-play a guideline development meeting. The aim is to increase participants’ knowledge and familiarity with this important part of the guideline development process, including how to work with different types of evidence.

The WHO CCs at HVL and NTNU regularly offer this simulation to WHO staff and others. 

Learn more about the GRADE Evidence-to-Decision simulation

In this paper from 2016, the authors discuss the use of several innovative strategies to broaden the range of evidence used to develop the WHO’s OptimizeMNH guidance. This was one of the first WHO guidelines to systematically include qualitative evidence to inform questions about the acceptability and feasibility of interventions. It also served as an impetus for the development of the GRADE-CERQual approach. 

Read the paper on expanding the evidence base for global recommendations on health systems