How to Develop a Guideline

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How are evidence reports used?

Evidence reports, also known as technical reports, are the main product of the evidence review. They include a comprehensive examination of the scientific literature and their appropriate analyses and are extensively peer-reviewed. Evidence tables are produced as part of the evidence report and incorporate the results for each study that meets the pre designated inclusion criteria.

The purpose of the evidence report is to provide a scientific base for recommendations. The evidence report provides the data to support clinical practice guideline recommendations and are also use dot highlight areas where data is lacking or methodologies are weak.

What will the methodologist do to prepare the evidence reports?

• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

  • Minimize bias by explicitly stating the inclusion and exclusion criteria for studies to be reviewed, performing a comprehensive literature search, and summarizing the results according to specific rules.
  • Use a rigorous process to identify the literature.
  • Provide scientific, rather that subjective, summaries of the literature.
  • Could reveal new evidence
  • Help to manage the volume of literature.
  • Provide reliable evidence to aid clinical decision-making.

• Meta-analyses are different from systematic reviews in that they pool the data across studies. The advantages of a meta-analysis include:

  • Avoidance of the bias of focusing on a subgroup of patients.
  • Reduction of random error.
  • Improved applicability across a range of patients.

How are the data summarized?

Summary tables provide an overview of the relative results and outcomes for each study.  Summary table cannot be used for analysis where as the evidence tables describe each study, which may later be used for a more formal analysis to compare data between studies, such as a meta analysis.

Examples:[Summary Table] [Evidence Table]

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