The GRADE Criteria

Society of Critical Care Medicine’s rating system for references and recommendations:

Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria:

References:

A - Randomized, prospective, controlled investigation

B - Nonrandomized, concurrent, or historical cohort investigation

C - Peer-reviewed, state-of-the-art articles, review articles, editorials, or substantial case series

D - Non–peer-reviewed published opinions, such as textbook statements or official organizational publications.

Recommendations:

Level 1: Convincingly justifiable on scientific evidence alone

Level 2: Reasonably justifiable by available scientific evidence and strongly supported by expert critical care opinion

Level 3: Adequate scientific evidence is lacking but widely supported by available data and expert critical care opinion