Table 2.
Interpretation of Strong versus Conditional Strength of Recommendation
| User Group | Strong Recommendation | Conditional Recommendation | 
|---|---|---|
| Patients | Most individuals in this situation would want the recommended course of action and only a few would not. Formal decision aids are not likely to be needed to help individuals make decisions consistent with their values and preferences. | The majority of individuals in this situation would want the suggested course of action, but many would not. | 
| Clinicians | Most individuals should receive the intervention. Adherence to this recommendation according to the guideline could be used as a quality criterion or performance indicator. | Understand that different choices will be appropriate for individual patients. Decision aids may be useful in helping individuals make decisions consistent with their values and preferences. | 
| Policy makers | The recommendation can be adopted as policy in most situations. | Policy making will require substantial debates and involvement of many stakeholders. |