Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) guidelines for the management of schizophrenia

Objective: The current Guidelines aim to provide evidence-based management recommendations for treatment of people living with schizophrenia in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Methods: The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry (ANZJP) commissioned a panel of experts to establish these Guidelines. The existing literature was reviewed to address key health questions. The certainty of evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach, and the strength of the recommendation was determined by the panel. 

Results: The ANZJP GRADE Guidelines examined the current evidence base for a range of areas relevant to treatment for people with schizophrenia including: initial physical health assessment; pharmacological treatment; psychological and psychosocial interventions; family, whānau and carers; psychiatric comorbidities; physical health and lifestyle interventions; and special populations. 

Conclusions: It is hoped that the current Guidelines provide useful recommendations in important aspects of care for people living with schizophrenia and their family, whānau and carers in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, both at the individual and systemic levels.