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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Jun 14.
Published in final edited form as: Am J Infect Control. 2008 Sep;36(7):504–535. doi: 10.1016/j.ajic.2008.06.001

TABLE 4.

Categorization of Recommendations

In this document, as in a number of published HICPAC, SHEA, and APIC guidelines, each recommendation is categorized on the basis of existing scientific evidence, theoretical rationale, applicability, and national or state regulations. The following categorization scheme is applied in this guideline:
      Category IA. Strongly recommended for implementation and strongly supported by well-designed experimental, clinical, or epidemiologic studies.
      Category IB. Strongly recommended for implementation and supported by some experimental, clinical, or epidemiologic studies and by strong theoretical rationale.
      Category IC. Required for implementation, as mandated by federal or state regulation or standard.
      Category II. Recommended for implementation and supported by suggestive clinical or epidemiologic studies or by theoretical rationale.
      No Recommendation. Unresolved issue. Practices for which insufficient evidence or no consensus regarding efficacy exists.