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. 2024 Feb 26;60(2):292–318. doi: 10.23736/S1973-9087.24.08352-7

Table IV. Implications of strong and weak recommendations for different users of guidelines.47, 61.

Recipients Strong recommendation Weak recommendation
For patients Most individuals in this situation would want the recommended course of action and only a small proportion would not The majority of individuals in this situation would want the suggested course of action, but many would not
For clinicians Most individuals should receive the recommended course of action. Adherence to this recommendation according to the guideline could be used as a quality criterion or performance indicator. Formal decision aids are not likely to be needed to help individuals make decisions consistent with their values and preferences Recognize that different choices will be appropriate for different patients, and that you must help each patient arrive at a management decision consistent with her or his values and preferences. Decision aids may well be useful helping individuals making decisions consistent with their values and preferences. Clinicians should expect to spend more time with patients when working towards a decision
For policy makers The recommendation can be adapted as policy in most situations including for the use as performance indicators Policy making will require substantial debates and involvement of many stakeholders. Policies are also more likely to vary between regions. Performance indicators would have to focus on the fact that adequate deliberation about management options has taken place