Conclusiveness resolves the conflict between quality of evidence and imprecision in GRADE
Anttila, Sten ; Persson, Johannes LU
; Vareman, Niklas
LU
and Sahlin, Nils-Eric
LU
(2016)
In Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
2016(75).
p.1-5
- Abstract
- The objective of our article is to show how “quality of evidence” and “imprecision,” as they are defined in Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) articles, may lead to confusion. We focus only on the context of systematic reviews.
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Objectives
The objective of our article is to show how “quality of evidence” and “imprecision,” as they are defined in Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) articles, may lead to confusion. We focus only on the context of systematic reviews.
Study Design and Setting
We analyze, with the aid of standard probabilistic and statistical concepts, the concepts of quality of evidence and imprecision as used in the GRADE framework. This enables us to point out some weaknesses in the relation between “quality of evidence” and “imprecision.”
Results
The GRADE framework contains terms familiar from classical statistics, but these terms are used in nonstandard ways. Notably,... (More) - Objectives
The objective of our article is to show how “quality of evidence” and “imprecision,” as they are defined in Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) articles, may lead to confusion. We focus only on the context of systematic reviews.
Study Design and Setting
We analyze, with the aid of standard probabilistic and statistical concepts, the concepts of quality of evidence and imprecision as used in the GRADE framework. This enables us to point out some weaknesses in the relation between “quality of evidence” and “imprecision.”
Results
The GRADE framework contains terms familiar from classical statistics, but these terms are used in nonstandard ways. Notably, “imprecision” does not have the meaning in the GRADE framework that it has in statistics, and the well-known table of “evidence levels” wrongly suggests that “quality of evidence” and “accuracy” express the same concept—they do not.
Conclusion
We believe that “conclusiveness” rather than “imprecision” would be a suitable term to use when the question whether the CI excludes or includes certain critical margins is being addressed. Conclusiveness could also replace quality of evidence as the final step for a systematic reviewer. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/c414e9cf-fc26-4f64-b42d-f4f9859f99c6
- author
- Anttila, Sten
; Persson, Johannes
LU
; Vareman, Niklas
LU
and Sahlin, Nils-Eric
LU
- organization
- alternative title
- Conclusiveness resolves the conflict between quality of evidence and imprecision in GRADE
- publishing date
- 2016-06-18
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- GRADE, Imprecision, Conclusiveness, Accuracy, Confidence in estimate, Quality of evidence
- in
- Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
- volume
- 2016
- issue
- 75
- article number
- JCE9148
- pages
- 5 pages
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:84964856595
- pmid:27063204
- wos:000378976300002
- ISSN
- 1878-5921
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.jclinepi.2016.03.019
- project
- Science and Proven Experience
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- c414e9cf-fc26-4f64-b42d-f4f9859f99c6
- date added to LUP
- 2016-05-13 09:02:14
- date last changed
- 2022-11-12 21:40:01
@article{c414e9cf-fc26-4f64-b42d-f4f9859f99c6,
abstract = {{The objective of our article is to show how “quality of evidence” and “imprecision,” as they are defined in Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) articles, may lead to confusion. We focus only on the context of systematic reviews.}},
author = {{Anttila, Sten and Persson, Johannes and Vareman, Niklas and Sahlin, Nils-Eric}},
issn = {{1878-5921}},
keywords = {{GRADE; Imprecision; Conclusiveness; Accuracy; Confidence in estimate; Quality of evidence}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{06}},
number = {{75}},
pages = {{1--5}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Journal of Clinical Epidemiology}},
title = {{Conclusiveness resolves the conflict between quality of evidence and imprecision in GRADE}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/8516071/PIIS0895435616300683.pdf}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.jclinepi.2016.03.019}},
volume = {{2016}},
year = {{2016}},
}