Evidence-based Medicine Ratings Based on Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy2
| Strength of Recommendation | Quality of Evidence | Consistency of Evidence Across Studies |
|---|---|---|
| A. Recommendation based on consistent good quality patient-oriented evidence | Good quality patient-oriented evidence—validated meta-analysis or high-quality or prospective cohort studies | Consistent—most studies with similar results or supportive high-quality meta-analysis |
| B. Recommendation based on inconsistent or limited quality patient-oriented evidence | Meta-analysis of lower quality or studies with inconsistent findings, retrospective cohort and case control studies with good follow up | |
| C. Recommendation based on consensus, usual practice, opinion, disease-oriented evidence or case studies of diagnosis, prevention or screening | Consensus guidelines, usual practice, disease-oriented evidence, case series of studies | Inconsistent—variation among study findings or lack of coherence of meta-analysis in favor of the recommendation |