How to Correctly Understand and Use the Low-quality Evidence to Formulate Recommendations in Guidelines

Qianling Shi; Hui Liu; Zijun Wang; Xufei Luo; Bingyi Wang; Nan Yang; Wenbo Meng; Yaolong Chen

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How to Correctly Understand and Use the Low-quality Evidence to Formulate Recommendations in Guidelines

VernacularTitle:正确理解和应用低质量证据形成指南推荐意见
Author: Qianling SHI ^{1
,

2
,

3
,

4} ; Hui LIU ^{2
,

3
,

4
,

5} ; Zijun WANG ^{2
,

3
,

4
,

5} ; Xufei LUO ^{2
,

3
,

4
,

5} ; Bingyi WANG ^{2
,

3
,

4
,

5} ; Nan YANG ^{2
,

3
,

4
,

5} ; Wenbo MENG ⁶ ; Yaolong CHEN ^{2
,

3
,

4
,

5
,

7
,

8}
Author Information

1. The First School of Clinical Medicine, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
2. Research Unit of Evidence-based Evaluation and Guidelines, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
3. Key Laboratory of Evidence-based Medicine of Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China
4. Institute of Health Data Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
5. Evidence-based Medicine Center, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
6. Department of General Surgery, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
7. Guidelines and Standards Research Center, Chinese Medical Association Publishing House, Lanzhou 730000, China
8. WHO Collaborating Center for Guideline Implementation and Knowledge Translation, Lanzhou 730000, China
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: clinical practice guidelines; recommendations; quality of evidence; GRADE
From: Medical Journal of Peking Union Medical College Hospital 2024;15(3):676-685
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract:
The essence of clinical practice guidelines lies in their recommendations. It is common to find strong recommendations supported by low-quality evidence in current published guidelines. There is a typical misunderstanding among medical professionals that without high-quality evidence, it is impossible to develop high-quality guidelines or only expert consensus can be developed. Based on the GRADE approach, this paper explains the concept and clinical significance of low-quality evidence, and introduces the methods for formulating recommendations based on low-quality evidence in guidelines, with the aim to provide reference for guideline developers and users in China.