How to use GRADE to assess, interpret and present findings of a review

Article type
Year
Authors
Santesso N1, Brozek J2, Brignardello-Petersen R3, Mustafa R4, Cuello C5, Schunemann H6, Morgan R7
1Cochrane GRADEing, McMaster University
2Cochrane GRADEing, Cochrane Airways
3Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University
4University of Missouri-Kansas City
5McMaster University - Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
6McMaster University
7McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
Abstract
Objectives: To learn to use GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) to assess the evidence, and interpret and present findings of systematic reviews.

Description: The GRADE criteria have been adopted by Cochrane to evaluate the quality/certainty of evidence for outcomes reported in systematic reviews, to interpret findings and to draw conclusions. This information, as well as the result for each outcome, is presented in the text of the review and can be presented in a 'Summary of findings' (SoF) table. This workshop briefly describes the GRADE criteria to assess the evidence (risk of bias, indirectness, imprecision, inconsistency, publication and others) and the process to create a SoF table (choosing outcomes and comparisons; grading the evidence; and presenting effects in user-friendly numbers).

The main part of the workshop is in small groups where participants will do GRADE by applying the concepts to assess the evidence, write results, start a SoF table, and write footnotes. The small groups will be led by experts in GRADE and SoF tables.