title: What do we know about tocolytic effectiveness and how do we use this information in guidelines? A comparison of evidence grading.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evidence summaries of tocolytic effectiveness assign quality levels based on a single dimension: the study design. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system takes into account several domains, including limitations of the study design and ranking the importance of outcomes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to compare the quality of evidence according to GRADE with the quality as described by existing guidelines.
  
  
  METHODS
  A practitioner survey to rank the importance of outcomes and a systematic review were conducted. For the systematic review, we searched Medline, Embase, and DARE databases from inception to December 2010 using the terms 'tocolytics' and 'threatened preterm labour', without any language restrictions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Inclusion criteria for the review were randomised controlled trials comparing tocolytics with either placebo or betamimetics.
  
  
  METHODS
  The review and survey teams worked independently. Evidence ratings according to GRADE were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of the survey respondents thought that it was important to use tocolytics to buy the time needed for steroids to promote fetal lung maturation and to allow in utero transfer. Nearly 80% of 'high' ratings in guidelines were downgraded as a result of deficiencies identified by GRADE.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We propose a move away from the use of evidence rating systems reliant solely on study design, as they have a propensity towards strong recommendations when the underlying evidence is weak.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roos
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Borowiack
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kowalska
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zapalska
authors.forename: Bw
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mol
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mignini
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Meads
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Walczak
authors.forename: Ks
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000592:standards*; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology; D008278:Magnesium Sulfate / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012107:Research Design; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015149:Tocolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014668:Vasotocin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000318:Adrenergic beta-Agonists; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; D015149:Tocolytic Agents; C047046:atosiban; D008278:Magnesium Sulfate; D014668:Vasotocin; D007213:Indomethacin
keywords: Grading of Recommendations Assessment Development and Evaluation (GRADE) assessment; graphic display; guidelines; tocolytic effectiveness