The GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) system can be used to grade the quality of evidence and strength of recommendations for diagnostic tests or strategies. This article explains how patient-important outcomes are taken into account in this process. In this fourth article of the five part series, the authors describe how guideline developers are using GRADE to rate the quality of evidence and move from evidence to a recommendation for diagnostic tests and strategies. Although recommendations on diagnostic testing share the fundamental logic of recommendations on treatment, they present unique challenges. We will describe why guideline panels should be cautious when they use evidence of the accuracy of tests (“test accuracy”) as the basis for recommendations and why evidence of test accuracy often provides low quality evidence for making recommendations. Article from the BMJ - Volume 336, 17 May 2008. Source: http://www.bmj.com/content/336/7653/1106.full.pdf
- GRADE
- health policy
