Interpretation of strong and weak recommendations for different stakeholders
| Implications | Strong recommendation | Conditional (weak) recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| For patients | Most individuals in this situation would want the recommended course of action and only a small proportion would not. | The majority of individuals in this situation, if fully informed, would choose the suggested course of action, but some would not. |
| For clinicians | Most individuals should receive the intervention. Adherence to this recommendation according to the guideline could be used as a quality criterion or performance indicator. | The care needs of individual donors may vary as a result of comorbidities, and the practice of individual clinicians may vary in these circumstances, largely owing to the lack of evidence to address these situations. |
| For policy-makers | The recommendation can be adapted as policy in most situations | Policy-making will require substantial debate and involvement of various stakeholders. |
Modified from Guyatt et al.46