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. Formal decision aids are not likely to be needed to help individual patients make decisions consistent with their values and preferences. | Different choices will be appropriate for individual patients; the clinician 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. Adherence to this recommendation according to the guideline could be used as a quality criterion or performance indicator. | Policy-making will require substantial debate and involvement of various stakeholders. |
| 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. Formal decision aids are not likely to be needed to help individual patients make decisions consistent with their values and preferences. | Different choices will be appropriate for individual patients; the clinician 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. Adherence to this recommendation according to the guideline could be used as a quality criterion or performance indicator. | Policy-making will require substantial debate and involvement of various stakeholders. |