Purchasers of healthcare are faced increasingly with decisions on which interventions are effective and should be purchased, and which are not effective and should not be purchased. Judging the strength of the evidence becomes an important part of the decision making process.
Type & Strength of Evidence
Critical appraisal teaches us to assess reports of a new or an established intervention. Much of the time we are involved in a wider process. How does that intervention fit in the management of that problem? Guidelines often involve multiple 'steps', and for each step there may be several possible interventions. One way of judging the overall evidence for each step is proposed below. I is the best, V is the worst.
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