Table 1 Interpretation of strong and conditional recommendations
Implications for: | Strong recommendation | Conditional recommendation |
|---|---|---|
Patients | Most individuals in this situation would want the recommended course of action, and only a small proportion would not. | The majority of individuals in this situation would want the suggested course of action, but many would not. |
Clinicians | Most individuals should receive the intervention. Adherence to this recommendation according to the guideline could be used as a quality criterion or performance indicator. Formal decision aids are not likely to be needed to help individuals make decisions consistent with their values and preferences. | Recognize that different choices will be appropriate for individual patients and that you must help each patient arrive at a management decision consistent with his or her values and preferences. Decision aids may be useful in helping individuals to make decisions consistent with their values and preferences. |
Policy makers | The recommendation can be adopted as policy in most situations. | Policymaking will require substantial debate and involvement of various stakeholders. |