National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) matrix of evidence quality
| Component | A | B | C | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | Good | Satisfactory | Poor | |
| Evidence base | Several level I or II studies with low risk of bias | One or two level II studies with low risk of bias or a systematic review or multiple level III studies with low risk of bias | Level III studies with low risk of bias, or level I or II studies with moderate risk of bias*** | Level IV studies, or level I to III studies with high risk of bias |
| Consistency | All studies consistent*** | Most studies consistent and inconsistency may be explained | Some inconsistency reflecting genuine uncertainty around clinical question | Evidence is inconsistent |
| Clinical impact | Very large*** | Substantial | Moderate | Slight or restricted |
| Generalisability | Population/s studied in body of evidence are the same as the target population in question*** | Population/s studied in the body of evidence are similar to the target population in question | Population/s studied in body of evidence differ to target population in question, but it is clinically sensible to apply this evidence to the target population | Population/s studied in body of evidence differ to target population and hard to judge whether it is sensible to generalise to target population |
| Applicability | Directly applicable to Australian context | Applicable to Australian context with few caveats | Probably applicable to Australian context with some caveats*** | Not applicable to Australian context |
***: NHMRC body of evidence matrix summarising the evidence base for the Finnish Asthma Program
Note. Adapted with permission from “Evidence for smoking quitlines” by Carson-Chahhoud K, Kopsaftis Z, Sharrad K, Esterman A. Sax Institute; c2019 [cited 2023 Nov 22]. Available from: https://www.saxinstitute.org.au/wp-content/uploads/Evidence-Check_Evidence-for-smoking-quitlines.pdf
