Table 5.
GRADE profile 1 assessment at diagnosis
| Number of studies | Design | Results | Limitations | Inconsistency | Indirectness | Imprecision | Other considerations | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effectiveness of assessment of severity | ||||||||
| 3: Kendrick et al, 200516 Kendrick et al, 200917 Smith et al, 201022 |
Observational | Rates of treatment and referral were higher with increased severity of depression when assessed using structured tools or GP perception of severity. GPs’ perceived severity of depression did not correspond to severity on the structured tool | No serious limitations | No serious inconsistency | Some serious indirectnessa | Some serious imprecisionb | None | VERY LOW |
a
Indirect outcomes of rates of treatment or referral; not depression outcomes (downgraded 1 level).
b
Where reported, some CIs were wide; however, this has not been downgraded, owing to the heterogeneity of results.