3.3. Before and after literature review

For a guideline, an initial rating of the importance of outcomes should precede the review of the evidence, and this rating should be confirmed or revised following the evidence review.

One should aim to decide which outcomes are important during protocol development and before one undertakes a systematic review or guideline project.

However, rating importance of an outcome prior to evidence review is preliminary: when evidence becomes available a reassessment of importance is necessary.

Guideline panels should be aware that in some instances the importance of an outcome may only become known after the protocol is written, evidence is reviewed or the analyses are carried out, and should take appropriate actions to include these in the evidence tables.

Outcomes that are critical to decision making should be included in an evidence table whether or not information about them is available.