Table 4. Specific methods used for evidence synthesis in guidelines.

Method	Guidelines n/N (%)
Formulation of the guideline question(s) or objective(s) in terms of PICOS elements	30/50 (60)
Inclusion and exclusion criteria of studies reported	29/50 (58)
Systematic search strategy	25/50 (50)
Two or more databases searched	31/50 (61)
Process reported for selecting/screening studies	27/50 (54)
Assessment of methodological quality (risk of bias) of review/overview	5/50 (10)
Assessment of methodological quality (risk of bias) of primary studies	30/50 (60)
Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized trials	8/30 (27)
Other tool	11/30 (37)
GRADE used but risk of bias methods not reported	11/30 (37)
GRADE approach reported	17/50 (34)
Other system for assessing the strength of recommendation reported	33/50 (66)
Highest “level of evidence” rating
High quality SR/MAs	17/50 (34)
SR/MAs	9/50 (18)
High quality RCTs	13/50 (26)
RCTs	4/50 (8)