Table A1:
GRADE Evidence Profile for the Comparison of Educational Intervention and Usual Care
| Number of Studies (Design) | Risk of Bias | Inconsistency | Indirectness | Imprecision | Publication Bias | Upgrade Considerations | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient Quality of Life | |||||||
| 5 (RCTs) (14–18) | Serious limitations (−1)a | Serious limitations (−1)b | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | Undetected | None | ⊕⊕ Low |
| Informal Caregiver Quality of Life | |||||||
| 3 (RCTs) (15;17;19) | Serious limitations (−1)a | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | Undetected | None | ⊕⊕⊕ Moderate |
| Patient Pain Control | |||||||
| 2 (RCTs) (14;16) | Serious limitations (−1)a | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | Undetected | None | ⊕⊕⊕ Moderate |
| Patient Symptom Control | |||||||
| 3 (RCTs) (15;18;19) | Serious limitations (−1)a | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | Undetected | None | ⊕⊕⊕ Moderate |
| Informal Caregiver Satisfaction | |||||||
| 2 (RCTs) (14;16) | Serious limitations (−1)a | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | Undetected | None | ⊕⊕⊕ Moderate |
| Health Care Provider Satisfaction | |||||||
| 1 (RCT) (16) | Serious limitations (−1)a | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | Undetected | None | ⊕⊕⊕ Moderate |
| Number of Hospital Days | |||||||
| 1 (RCT) (18) | Serious limitations (−1)a | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | Undetected | None | ⊕⊕⊕ Moderate |
| Number of Emergency Department Visits | |||||||
| 1 (RCT) (18) | Serious limitations (−1)a | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | Undetected | None | ⊕⊕⊕ Moderate |
| Intensive Care Unit Admissions | |||||||
| 2 (RCTs) (16;18) | Serious limitations (−1)a | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | No serious limitations | Undetected | None | ⊕⊕⊕ Moderate |
Abbreviations: GRADE, Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation; RCT, randomized controlled trial.
a
Concealment and blinding were unclear.
b
Results were inconsistent among the different studies.