Grading systems for evidence and recommendations in gout CPGs
| Name of system | Indicators* | No. of guideline in table 1 | ||
| QOE | SOR | QOE | SOR | |
| OCEBM levels of evidence | 1a, 1b, 1 c, 2a, 2b, 2 c, 3a, 3b, 4, 5 | A, B, C, D | 6, 7, 9, 10, 13 | |
| USPSTF ratings | Good, fair, poor/high, moderate, low | A, B, C, D, I | 2, 4 | |
| GRADE | A, B, C, D | 1, 2 | 12 | |
| ACP grading system | High, moderate, low | Strong, weak | 14 | |
| Modified version of the criteria used by CAHTAR Spain | Modified from SIGN | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 | A, B, C | 1 |
| Adaptation (based on previous methods used by ACC) | – | A, B, C | – | 5 |
| Others | Ia, Ib, Ⅱa, Ⅱb, III, IV | A, B, C, D, E | 8 | |
| Ia, Ib, Ⅱa, Ⅱb, III, IV | 0–100 mm visual analogue scale | 15 | ||
| 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3, 4, 5 | A, B, C | 3 | ||
*The definition of indicators used to indicate QOE and SOR was interpreted in some guidelines (QOE: 10/14, SOR: 10/13). Among these guidelines, five listed the interpretation in a table while others used different methods, such as description in methods part or attaching supplementary materials.
ACC, The American College of Cardiology; ACP, American College of Physicians; CAHTAR, The Catalonia Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Research; CPGs, clinical practice guideline; GRADE, Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation; OCEBM, Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine; QOE, quality of evidence; SIGN, The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network; SOR, strength of recommendation; USPSTF, US Preventive Services Task Force.