Turner et al. BMC Public Health 2010, 10:170 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/10/170 abstract and keywords, to identify potentially relevant reviews. We searched only for Cochrane systematic reviews as this was part of a project exploring how Evi- dence Aid, which was developed by the Cochrane Colla- boration and provides summaries of Cochrane systematic reviews, could contribute to meeting the health information needs of humanitarian organisations. Data Extraction For each potentially relevant review, one reviewer read the ‘Description of Studies’ section, ‘Characteristics of Included Studies’ table and ‘References’ section to deter- mine how many trials were included in the review, and how many of these trials were conducted in a develop- ing setting. Results Fourteen potentially relevant guidelines were identified and six guidelines met selection criteria [4-9] (Tables 1 and 2). Of these six guidelines, three focused on feeding and nutrition for infants, children and/or pregnant and lactating women in emergencies [4,7,8], one addressed provision of antenatal care in crisis settings[5] and two covered all aspects of care for children in emergencies [6,9]. However, none of the included guidelines were expli- citly based on systematic searches of research literature, Page 3 of 12 or had recommendations that were clearly linked to research evidence (AGREE criteria 8 & 12). As a result none of the guidelines were assessed using the full AGREE instrument. One guideline did not include any references, one included references in a “Further read- ing” section and three included references, but these were not directly linked to the recommendations of the guideline. None of the guidelines included any Cochrane or other systematic reviews as references. None of the included guidelines described the methods by which they were developed. Table 3 contains the reference numbers of the poten- tially relevant Cochrane systematic reviews and proto- cols for each guideline; the titles of these reviews and protocols are matched to the relevant guideline sections in Additional File 1 Table S1. The “Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies” guideline [4] produced in 2007 by the Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies (IFE) Core Group pro- vides guidance on how to feed infants and children in crisis settings. There were 14 Cochrane systematic reviews and six protocols for reviews that were poten- tially relevant to this guideline, predominantly addres- sing nutrient supplementation, support for breastfeeding and prevention of mother to child HIV transmission. All except two of the reviews include some studies from Table 1 Included guidelines Title Manual for the health care of children in humanitarian emergencies [9] Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies [4] Community-based Therapeutic Care (CTC) A Field Manual [7] Antenatal Guidelines For Primary Health Care In Crisis Conditions [5] Guiding principles for feeding infants and young children during emergencies [8] Emergency Field Handbook A Guide For UNICEF Staff [6] Date 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 Unclear Developer WHO IFE Core Group Valid International ICRC WHO UNICEF Table 2 Excluded guidelines Title Clinical Guidelines: Diagnosis and Treatment Manual for curative programs in hospitals and dispensaries [10] Obstetrics in Remote Settings: Practical guide for non-specialized health professionals [11] Pregnancy, Childbirth, Postpartum and Newborn Care: A guide for essential practice [12] Diarrhoea Treatment Guidelines Clinic-Based Healthcare Workers [13] 2005 Care of the Newborn Reference Manual [14] Food and Nutrition Needs in Emergencies [15] The management of nutrition in major emergencies [16] Date 2007 2007 2006 2004 2002 2000 Developer MSF MSF WHO MOST Save the Children Federation UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and WHO WHO Acute Respiratory Infections In Children [17] Unclear WHO Not crisis setting Reason for exclusion Not crisis setting Not crisis setting Not crisis setting Not crisis setting Not crisis setting Scope covered by more recent publication from the same organisations Scope covered by more recent publication from the same organisations