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Table 1 Comparison between items included in the current and alternative Summary-of-Findings (SoF) table formats

From: Comparison between the standard and a new alternative format of the Summary-of-Findings tables in Cochrane review users: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

 

Current formats (Table C)

Alternative formats (Table A)

1

Inclusion of the number of participants and studies column

Exclusion of the number of participants and studies column. Information presented in the outcomes column

2

Quality of evidence presented with symbols and labeled as High, Moderate, Low, or Very low. Reasons for downgrading presented in the footnotes

Quality of evidence presented along with main reasons for downgrading in the same column (for example, Moderate due to imprecision)

3

'Footnotes' label

'Explanations' label

4

Baseline risk and corresponding risk expressed as natural frequencies

Baseline risk and corresponding risk expressed as percentages

5

No column presenting absolute risk reduction (risk difference) or mean difference

Inclusion of a column presenting absolute risk reduction (risk difference) or mean difference

6

Comments column included

Comments column deleted

7

No 'What happens' columna

'What happens' column includeda

8

Description of the GRADE Working Group grades of evidence definitions below the table

No description of the GRADE Working Group grades of evidence definitions

  1. aThe 'What happens' column aims to summarize both the treatment effect and the quality of the evidence in one short narrative statement.