How do I determine the level of evidence of an article?

Answer

Johns Hopkins Nursing EBP: Levels of Evidence

Level I
Experimental study, randomized controlled trial (RCT)
Systematic review of RCTs, with or without meta-analysis

Level II
Quasi-experimental Study
Systematic review of a combination of RCTs and quasi-experimental, or quasi-experimental studies only, with or without meta-analysis.

Level III
Non-experimental study
Systematic review of a combination of RCTs, quasi-experimental and non-experimental, or non-experimental studies only, with or without meta-analysis.
Qualitative study or systematic review, with or without meta-analysis

Level IV
Opinion of respected authorities and/or nationally recognized expert committees/consensus panels based on scientific evidence.
    Includes:
         - Clinical practice guidelines
         - Consensus panels

Level V
Based on experiential and non-research evidence.
    Includes:
      - Literature reviews
      - Quality improvement, program or financial evaluation
      - Case reports
      - Opinion of nationally recognized expert(s) based on experiential evidence

From Johns Hopkins nursing evidence-based practice : Models and Guidelines
Dearholt, S., Dang, Deborah, & Sigma Theta Tau International. (2012). Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-based Practice : Models and Guidelines.

The links below will provide further information. 

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  • Last Updated Jan 11, 2022
  • Views 6492
  • Answered By Anne Heimann

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