Table 1.

Quality assessment of studies

Category	Item	RCT
Validity of results	Are the results of the trial valid?
	1) Did the trial address a clearly focused issue?	5/5
	2) Was the assignment of patients to treatments randomized?	5/5
	3) Were all patients who entered the trial properly accounted for at its conclusion?	5/5
	4) Were patients, health workers, and study personnel ‘blind’ to treatment?	0/5
	5) Were the groups similar at the start of the trial	5/5
	6) Aside from the experimental intervention, were the groups treated equally?	5/5
Results	What are the results?
	7) How large was the treatment effect?	5/5
	8) How precise was the estimate of the treatment effect?	5/5
Generalizability of results	Will the results help locally?
	9) Can the results be applied to the local population, or in your context?	5/5
	10) Were all clinically important outcomes considered?	5/5
	11) Are the benefits worth harms and costs?	5/5