Table 1 Level of supporting evidence
From: Developing quality indicators for the care of HIV-infected pregnant women in the Dutch Caribbean
Level of Supporting evidence | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
A1 | A good systematic review of studies designed to answer the question of interest. | Systematic review of randomized controlled trials. |
A2 | One or more rigorous studies designed to answer the question but not formally combined. | Randomized controlled trial. |
B | One or more prospective clinical studies that illuminate but do not rigorously answer the question. | Prospective cohort study; unpowered or poor quality randomized controlled trial; or nonrandomized controlled trial. |
C | One or more retrospective clinical studies that illuminate but do not rigorously answer the question. | Audit or retrospective case-control study. |
D | Formal combination of expert views or other information. | Delphi study; expert opinion; informed consensus. |