A Systematic Review of the Current Clinical Practice Guidelines on Electrical Stimulation Treatment for Idiopathic Facial Paralysis: A Protocol for a Systematic Review and Synthesis of Recommendations

Abstract

Multiple clinical practice guidelines for managing idiopathic facial paralysis have been published, and divergent recommendations have been suggested by various publications. The present study aims to deliver a comprehensive summary and assessment of the existing clinical practice guidelines on idiopathic facial paralysis and to evaluate the quality of the recommendation grades concerning the use of electrical stimulation therapy. A comprehensive literature search will be conducted up to May 2024 in various databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane library, Pedro, CNKI, and CiNii) and guideline repositories. After verifying the eligibility according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, two independent reviewers will assess the guidelines using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II and Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation-Recommendation Excellence instruments. The general characteristics of each guideline will be summarized and the reliability of the recommendations for electrical stimulation on idiopathic facial paralysis will be appraised. The present study will be a systematic review of the clinical practice guidelines on idiopathic facial paralysis concerning the use of electrical stimulation therapy. By summarizing the current guidelines for managing idiopathic facial paralysis from various publications, our study data will be useful for guiding clinicians in choosing the optimal treatments in clinical practice.

Keywords

• bell palsy
• clinical practice guidelines
• electrical stimulation