In February 2021, Chinese guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of diabetic kidney disease (Registration number: IPGRP-2021CN035) were published online by the Chinese Society of Nephrology in the Chinese Journal of Nephrology. The guideline is based on domestic and international expert consensus and integrates the clinical experience of Chinese nephrologists. This guideline contains the diagnosis of diabetic kidney disease (DKD), renal pathology biopsy, treatment and management, management of complications, and rational application of commonly used drugs. The expert group has referred to the international guideline format in the preparation process based on the principles of rigor, conciseness, and authority. The guidelines reflect new trends and perspectives in the treatment of DKD and are of great value in further strengthening the understanding of DKD, standardizing the treatment system, formulating reasonable treatment principles, guiding the precise use of drugs, delaying the progression of kidney disease. It will improve the life quality of patients and could be used by physicians for reference in clinical work.

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement, published in 2009, was designed to help to improve the reporting quality of the systematic reviews. The first edition of the PRISMA statement has been published over 10 years. Over the past decade, advances in systematic review methodology and terminology have necessitated an update to the guideline.

In January 2021，Runsheng Xie published an article in Pharmacological Research entitled The RIGHT Extension Statement for Traditional Chinese Medicine: Development, Recommendations, and Explanation. Nowadays, the number of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) guidelines is constantly increasing, but its reporting quality remains unsatisfactory. The group hopes that the RIGHT-TCM may assist TCM guideline developers in reporting guidelines, support journal editors and peer reviewers when considering TCM guideline reports, and help health care practitioners understand and implement a TCM guideline.

Registration is a way for researchers to provide key features from their protocol and results which are recorded and published progressively through an online and open platform. In 2007, the International Clinical Trial Registry Platform (ICTRP) based at the World Health Organization (WHO) was established, enabling the full implementation of the clinical trial registry. In 2011, an International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) was developed, so that registration of systematic reviews/Meta-analysis was gradually recognized and applied. Compared with the clinical trials and systematic reviews, clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are important guidance documents for medical practice. However, prospective registration for CPGs has become relatively late with lacking attention for its importance and significance. The concept, methods and approaches of registration for CPGs have also not been fully discussed by researchers, guideline developers and journal editors for a long time.

In March 7, 2021, Tanja A Stamm, et al published an article entitled “The methodological quality is insufficient in clinical practice guidelines in the context of COVID-19: systematic review” in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology. This study systematic searched clinical practice guidelines or recommendations related to Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), and assessed their methodological quality by using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) tool.