Knowledge, attitude and barriers of the Italian National Guidelines System for the development of clinical practice guidelines: a cross-sectional survey of registered scientific-technical societies.

Background: To explore knowledge, attitude, and barriers of the Italian National Guidelines System (SNLG) for the development of clinical practice guidelines (CPG) among scientific-technical societies (STS) of health care professional.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was distributed to the STS registered in the Italian Ministry of Health (n = 336). The questionnaire consisted of three sections: Respondent characteristics; Perception, knowledge, attitude, and use of CPGs; Knowledge of the SNLG.

Results: The survey sample was 194 (57.7%) STS: 69% STS members stated they "often consulted CPGs". Two out of three STS perceived scientific activities as extremely important. Additionally, 20.6% STS had submitted at least one CPG to the SNLG platform after the Gelli-Bianco Law went into effect (median 1 CPG; interquartile range, IQR, 1-4). The most often cited barrier (62.7%) to CPG submission was limited economic resources.

Conclusions: STS members hold a positive attitude towards CPGs despite barriers to CPG development.