The Value of UK Respiratory Conditions Research on Clinical Practice Guidelines from Other European Member States

Background/objectives: Research on chronic non-communicable respiratory conditions is limited. This study assessed the impact of UK medical research on other European countries development of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs), to evaluate the UK contribution to the evidence-base of European CPGs on chronic non-communicable respiratory conditions. Method: The UK contribution was determined on a fractional count basis to clinical guidelines’ citations: (1) from each of five selected (target) Member States (MS), namely France, Germany, The Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland; and (2) from the other 25 countries (the other 23 EU MS, plus Iceland and Norway). Results: There were 6,087 cited references on 52 clinical practice guidelines published from 21 European countries. The UK contribution varied between 11% and 17% for the five target EU MSs countries for all respiratory conditions clinical guidelines. There was more foreign collaboration research on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) (33%) than asthma (25%) with results being statistically significant. Conclusions: The study showed the importance of UK medical research contribution to the evidence-base of respiratory clinical guidelines in other European MS. Notable differences between asthma and COPD, can inform research priorities and medical progression on respiratory conditions’ clinical management.