Deprescribing Guidelines Repository (DEPOT)

A resource for guideline developers to share their guidelines and for guideline users to access deprescribing guidance. This public-facing central repository is a place where deprescribing guideline developers can register their guideline name and methods and connect with other developers. Everyone can access previously developed guidelines, view their quality scores, and view guidelines currently in progress.

Information on Registered and Endorsed Deprescribing Guidelines

This list includes all deprescribing guidelines registered or endorsed with deprescribing.org and that have been rated using the AGREE II or GRS criteria:

Topic: Year Registered Lead Developer(s) Region Funder Quality Score (out of 7) Status
Deprescribing Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI) 2023 B Farrell Canada MOHLTC¹ 6.1 Completed (2017) ᴱ
Deprescribing Antihyperglycemic (AHG) Agents in Older Persons 2023 B Farrell Canada CIHR² 6.2 Completed (2017) ᴱ
Deprescribing Antipsychotics (AP) for Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia and Insomnia 2023 L Bjerre Canada MOHLTC¹ 6.4 Completed (2017) ᴱ
Deprescribing Benzodiazepine Receptor Agonists (BZRA) 2023 K Pottie Canada MOHLTC¹ 5.4 Completed (2017) ᴱ
Deprescribing Opioid Analgesics 2023 D Gnjidic Australia N/A 6.2 Completed (2022) ᴱ
Deprescribing Benzodiazepine and Sedative Hypnotics (BSHs) in Insomnia Disorder 2024 T Agoritsas European Union Horizon Europe, SERI⁵ N/A Completed (2023)
Deprescribing Diuretics 2023 E van Poelgeest Netherlands N/A N/A In Progress
Deprescribing Statins 2024 W Thompson Canada Health Canada, IFPOC³, TOHAMO⁴ N/A In Progress
Discontinuation of Long-Term Antidepressants 2025 E Van Leeuwen Belgium N/A N/A In Progress
Endorsement of guidelines does not imply financial support for the promotion and dissemination of materials.
*Guidelines submitted to the repository published from 2022 onwards will be appraised using the AGREE II criteria.
Guidelines published prior to 2022 and previously appraised using the AGREE Guideline Rating System (GRS) Instrument will be listed with the GRS scores. The overall quality score is an average of all domains. The maximum overall score is 7. Higher scores suggest higher quality guidelines. The deprescribing.org team endorses a guideline when it meets a minimum AGREE II trust rating of 4 within each domain and an average of ≥5 across all six domains.
 
ᴱGuideline Endorsed by the Deprescribing.org team
 
¹Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
 
²Canadian Institutes of Health Research
 
³Innovation Fund Provincial Oversight Committee of Ontario
 
⁴The Ottawa Hospital Academic Medical Organization
 
Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation
Submit to the Deprescribing Guidelines Repository (DEPOT)

Submission Process
If you are interested in submitting your in-progress or completed guidelines, please provide the following information to deprescribing.org.
If submitting a completed guideline, a deprescribing.org team member will then connect with you for the next steps for appraisal.

Please also use this form to update a pre-existing entry.

Appraisal Process

If you are interested in having your completed guideline on the repository, the guideline must be appraised.

Rating of completed guidelines will be conducted as follows:

  • A minimum of two raters (at least one from the deprescribing.org team) will use the AGREE II criteria* and complete the online My Agree Plus tool (facilitates the compilation of individual appraisals into a group rating), which can be accessed here: My AGREE PLUS | AGREE Enterprise website (agreetrust.org)
  • Guideline developers are responsible for setting up and inviting people to appraise the guideline using the My AGREE Plus website
  • Raters can be members of the developing team, reviewers, or members of the deprescribing.org group
  • A deprescribing.org team member will review the combined ratings and provide a final rating to add to the repository
  • Raters should comply with COPE’s Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers
  • A final combined rating will be added to the repository by the designated deprescribing.org team member in consultation with the guideline developer

*Note: prior to 2022, the deprescribing.org evidence-based deprescribing guidelines were appraised using the AGREE Guideline Rating System (GRS) Instrument. Guidelines published prior to 2022 and previously appraised with the GRS will be listed with the GRS scores. Guidelines submitted to the repository from 2022 onwards will be appraised using the full AGREE II criteria as outlined above.

Endorsement

The deprescribing.org team will consider endorsement for guidelines that achieve an AGREE II trust rating of:

  • A minimum of 4 out of 7 within each domain
  • An average of ≥5 out of 7 across all six domains

If endorsed by deprescribing.org:

  • The guideline developers will be able to use the deprescribing.org logos (as outlined below) and text, “This guideline has been rated using the AGREE II criteria by deprescribing.org and meets the criteria for endorsement as an evidence-based deprescribing guideline.” within the published guideline itself. The logos themselves should not be used on guideline dissemination tools (such as algorithms or pamphlets) unless an endorsement statement is clearly present in the text on the dissemination tool.
  • The final citation and/or link to the published guideline will be added by deprescribing.org staff to the repository along with the final rating.

Endorsement of guidelines does not imply financial support for the promotion and dissemination of materials

Use Resources and Tools to Help Develop an Evidence-Based Deprescribing Guideline

Methods Paper

Download our methodology paper for developing deprescribing guidelines using evidence and GRADE here.

Whiteboard Video

This video helps viewers understand: (1) the rationale for evidence-based deprescribing guidelines, (2) the process used for developing the deprescribing guidelines, (3) the steps that a health care professional and patient need to go through to make and carry out safe deprescribing processes. Access all of the Deprescribing.org Research Team’s videos here.

Instruction Manual for Guideline Coordinators

The purpose of this manual is to provide step-by-step instructions for developing a medication class-specific evidence-based deprescribing guideline. This manual is for individuals coordinating the development of such guidelines, as well as those who require an estimate of the workload, activities and time involved in such development to establish accurate timelines and budgets. This manual was developed in 2018, and budgeting requirements may need to be updated accordingly. Download the PDF manual here.

Repository Disclaimer: All content on this webpage is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Content is not intended as medical advice; people should consult with a healthcare professional for medical advice. Deprescribing.org and its content providers shall have no liability arising from the content on this website, or its use thereof.