Table 2.
Level of evidence by proportion and mean level of evidence based on journal
| Journal | JAMA | Lancet | NEJM | APAM | J. Peds | Peds | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | (%) | n | (%) | n | (%) | n | (%) | n | (%) | n | (%) | n | (%) | |
| Level of evidence | ||||||||||||||
| I | 8 | (33.3) | 16 | (59.3❖) | 10 | (58.8‡) | 26 | (25.2◆) | 63 | (24.6◆,f) | 81 | (21.5◆,f) | 204 | (25.4) |
| II | 4 | (16.7) | 5 | (18.5) | 2 | (11.8) | 21 | (20.4) | 55 | (21.5) | 88 | (23.3) | 175 | (21.8) |
| III | 5 | (20.8) | 3 | (11.1) | 3 | (17.6) | 9 | (8.7) | 25 | (9.8) | 48 | (12.7) | 93 | (11.6) |
| IV | 7 | (29.2) | 3 | (11.1◆) | 2 | (11.8) | 47 | (45.6❖) | 113 | (44.1❖) | 160 | (42.4❖) | 332 | (41.3) |
| Ratio LOE I-II:III-IV | 1.00 | 3.50 | 2.40 | 0.84 | 0.86 | 0.81 | 0.89 | |||||||
| Mean LOE | 2.46 | 1.74† | 1.82∫ | 2.75* | 2.73*,§ | 2.76*,§ | 2.69 | |||||||
❖Higher proportion compared to ◆(p < 0.05), ‡ Higher proportion compared to ƒ(p < 0.05).
†Higher LOE compared to *(p < 0.01), ∫ Higher LOE compared to §(p < 0.05).
JAMA – Journal of the American Medical Association, NEJM – New England Journal of Medicine, APAM – Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, J. Peds – Journal of Pediatrics, Peds – Pediatrics, LOE – Level of Evidence.