Table.
GRADE Evaluation of interventions for Delirium at the end of life.
| Important outcomes | Delirium | ||||||||
| Studies (Participants) | Outcome | Comparison | Type of evidence | Quality | Consistency | Directness | Effect size | GRADE | Comment |
| What are the effects of interventions at the end of life in people with delirium caused by underlying terminal illness? | |||||||||
| 1 (30) | Delirium | Haloperidol versus lorazepam or versus chlorpromazine | 4 | –1 | 0 | –2 | 0 | Very low | Quality point deducted for sparse data. Directness points deducted for no direct comparison between interventions and for narrowness of population in RCT |
| 1 (42) | Delirium | Hypodermoclysis versus no artificial hydration | 4 | –2 | 0 | –1 | 0 | Very low | Quality points deducted for sparse data and incomplete reporting of results. Directness point deducted for no direct comparison between interventions |
| 1 (30) | Delirium | Lorazepam versus haloperidol or versus chlorpromazine | 4 | –1 | 0 | –2 | 0 | Very low | Quality point deducted for sparse data. Directness points deducted for no direct comparison between interventions and for narrowness of population in RCT |
| 1 (30) | Delirium | Chlorpromazine versus lorazepam or versus haloperidol | 4 | –1 | 0 | –2 | 0 | Very low | Quality point deducted for sparse data. Directness points deducted for no direct comparison between interventions and for narrowness of population in RCT |
We initially allocate 4 points to evidence from RCTs, and 2 points to evidence from observational studies. To attain the final GRADE score for a given comparison, points are deducted or added from this initial score based on preset criteria relating to the categories of quality, directness, consistency, and effect size. Quality: based on issues affecting methodological rigour (e.g., incomplete reporting of results, quasi-randomisation, sparse data [<200 people in the analysis]). Consistency: based on similarity of results across studies. Directness: based on generalisability of population or outcomes. Effect size: based on magnitude of effect as measured by statistics such as relative risk, odds ratio, or hazard ratio.