Table 33.2.
Recommendation categories for infection protection: divided into categories from the CDC/HICPAC system
| According to research, theory, feasibility and if possible economic solution | |
| Category IA | A strong recommendation supported by high- to moderate-quality evidence suggesting net clinical benefits or harms |
| Category IB | A strong recommendation supported by low-quality evidence suggesting net clinical benefits or harms or an accepted practice (e.g. aseptic technique), supported by low- to very low-quality evidence |
| Category IC | A strong recommendation required by state or federal regulation |
| Category II | A weak recommendation supported by any quality evidence suggesting a trade-off between clinical benefits and harms |
| No recommendation/unsolved issue | An issue for which there is low- to very low-quality evidence with uncertain trade-offs between the benefits and harms or no published evidence on outcomes deemed critical to weighing the risk and benefits of a given intervention |