Table 3 Definitions used to grade consistency of evidence when synthesising findings from included studies
From: Factors associated with health service utilisation for common mental disorders: a systematic review
Evidence level | Criteria |
|---|---|
Good evidence of an association | ≥75% of studies that investigated this factor report an association, of which ≥2 (using different datasets) are of good/excellent quality |
Good evidence of no association | < 25% of studies that investigated this factor report an association, of which ≥2 (using different datasets) are of good/excellent quality |
Inconsistent evidence | 25–75% of studies that investigated this factor report an association, of which ≥2 (using different datasets) are of good/excellent quality |
Poor quality evidence only | < 2 studies of good/excellent quality (using different datasets) investigated the association between this factor and treatment-seeking for CMD |
Not examined | No studies investigated the association between this factor and treatment-seeking for CMD |