Table 1.

Assessment of the guidelines in each of the six domains of the AGREE II instrument

Guideline	Domain 1: scope and purpose	Domain 2: stakeholder involvement	Domain 3: rigour of development	Domain 4: clarity of presentation	Domain 5: applicability	Domain 6: editorial independence	Total
National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
Smoking: acute, maternity and mental health services [8]	19	16	47	17	23	12	134
Asthma quality standard [9]	19	10	17	19	16	5	86
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in over 16s: diagnosis and management [10]	14	14	43	17	14	7	109
Lung cancer: diagnosis and management [11]	17	18	45	18	19	14	131
Pneumonia in adults: diagnosis and management [12]	11	19	51	18	24	13	136
Tuberculosis: guidelines [13]	20	19	51	19	24	13	146
British Thoracic Society (BTS)
Pulmonary rehabilitation in adults [14]	17	12	39	19	17	6	110
Asthma guideline [15]	13	15	44	19	19	9	119
Pandemic flu: clinical management of patients with influenza-like illness during an influenza pandemic [16]	13	8	13	19	12	4	69
Emergency oxygen use in adult patients [17]	19	16	44	19	23	12	133
European Respiratory Society (ERS)
International ERS/ATS guidelines on definition, evaluation and treatment of severe asthma [18]	This is a combined guideline
American Thoracic Society (ATS)
International ERS/ATS guidelines on definition, evaluation and treatment of severe asthma [18]	16	12	44	19	14	13	118
Guidelines for the management of adults with hospital-acquired, ventilator-associated, and healthcare-associated pneumonia [19]	13	3	28	16	12	7	79
Infectious Diseases Society of America/ATS consensus guidelines on the management of community-acquired pneumonia in adults [20]	13	8	33	15	13	10	92
Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ)
Summary of the Australasian Society for Infectious Disease and the TSANZ guidelines: treatment and prevention of H1N1 influenza 09 (human swine flu) with antiviral agents [21]	7	1	12	17	6	7	50
TSANZ oxygen guidelines for acute oxygen use in adults: “swimming between the flags” [22]	17	10	34	16	13	6	96
Australian Asthma Handbook [23]	18	19	44	21	23	12	137
The COPD-X plan: Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [24]	13	20	33	21	17	6	110