Table 10. Quality (internal validity) Rating of Evidence.
Good | A study (including meta-analyses or systematic reviews) that meets all design-specific criteria* well. |
Fair | A study (including meta-analyses or systematic reviews) that does not meet (or it is not clear that it meets) at least one design-specific criterion* but has no known “fatal flaw”. |
Poor | A study (including meta-analyses or systematic reviews) that has at least one design-specific* “fatal flaw”, or an accumulation of lesser flaws to the extent that the results of the study are not deemed able to inform recommendations. |
* General design specific criteria are outlined in Harris et al., 200143