Table 1 Grading the evidence (adapted from Guyatt et al. 2011[28])
Strength of evidence | Interpretation |
|---|---|
High quality | Very confident that the true effect lies close to the estimate of the effect and therefore further research very unlikely to change our confidence in the estimate of effect |
Moderate quality | Moderately confident in the effect estimate. The true effect is likely to be close to the estimate of the effect, but there is a possibility that it is substantially different. Further research likely to have an important impact on our confidence and may change the estimate |
Low quality | Confident that the effect estimate is limited. The true effect may be substantially different from the estimate of the effect. Further research very likely to have an important impact on our confidence and is likely to change the estimate |
Low | Very little confidence in the effect estimate. The true effect is likely to be substantially different from the estimate of effect |