Table 2.

Interpretation of Strong and Conditional Recommendations (18)

Implications	Strong recommendation	Conditional recommendation
For patients	Most individuals in this situation would want the recommended course of action and only a small proportion would not	Most individuals in this situation would want the suggested course of action, but many would not
For clinicians	Most individuals should receive the recommended course of action	Different choices will be appropriate for different individuals consistent with the patient’s values and preferences. Use shared decision-making
For policy makers	The recommendation can be adopted as policy in most situations	Policy-making will require substantial debate and involvement of various stakeholders

NOTE. Strong recommendations use “we recommend,” and conditional recommendations use “we suggest.”