Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: Evidence based medicine and systematic reviews are becoming better known among clinicians, researchers and policy-makers; it is imperative to promote the development of GRADE in China. Although it has been ten years since the GRADE system first emerged, it is still a relatively new concept in China.
Objectives: To investigate the awareness of the GRADE system in China.
Methods: We conducted a two-part survey of health professionals. The first part using a survey questionnaire given to attendees on the 6th Asia-Pacific Evidence Based Medicine Conference on September 25; the second using a web-based survey on http://www.dxy.cn (The biggest medical community site in China) from October 13 to 28.
Results: Of the 245 respondents who completed a questionnaire, 118 (48 %) had heard of the GRADE system. Among those who had heard of GRADE, 53 (45 %) had accessed the web site of GRADE; 20 (17 %) had used the GRADEpro program; 91 (77 %) didn’t knew how many levels existed for grading the quality of evidence and 102 (86 %) didn’t how many levels existed regarding the strength of recommendations in the GRADE system; 6 (5 %) knew of all the upgrading factors and 39 (33 %) knew of all of the degrading factors of 'quality of evidence’ 8 (7 %) correctly answered factors affecting the strength of recommendations; 114 (96 %) thought GRADE was important or very important to clinical practice in China and 115 (97%) thought it was necessary to introduce and apply the GRADE system in China.
Conclusions: The survey yielded useful information about respondent’s knowledge and perceptions of the GRADE system. Researchers and doctors have limited familiarity with the concept of GRADE but most of them thought the GRADE approach was important to clinical practice, and it that it is necessary to introduce and apply the GRADE system in China.
Objectives: To investigate the awareness of the GRADE system in China.
Methods: We conducted a two-part survey of health professionals. The first part using a survey questionnaire given to attendees on the 6th Asia-Pacific Evidence Based Medicine Conference on September 25; the second using a web-based survey on http://www.dxy.cn (The biggest medical community site in China) from October 13 to 28.
Results: Of the 245 respondents who completed a questionnaire, 118 (48 %) had heard of the GRADE system. Among those who had heard of GRADE, 53 (45 %) had accessed the web site of GRADE; 20 (17 %) had used the GRADEpro program; 91 (77 %) didn’t knew how many levels existed for grading the quality of evidence and 102 (86 %) didn’t how many levels existed regarding the strength of recommendations in the GRADE system; 6 (5 %) knew of all the upgrading factors and 39 (33 %) knew of all of the degrading factors of 'quality of evidence’ 8 (7 %) correctly answered factors affecting the strength of recommendations; 114 (96 %) thought GRADE was important or very important to clinical practice in China and 115 (97%) thought it was necessary to introduce and apply the GRADE system in China.
Conclusions: The survey yielded useful information about respondent’s knowledge and perceptions of the GRADE system. Researchers and doctors have limited familiarity with the concept of GRADE but most of them thought the GRADE approach was important to clinical practice, and it that it is necessary to introduce and apply the GRADE system in China.