Three of the studies were prospective RCT and one was a retrospective cohort study and, as a result, classified low-quality evidence [ 20], moderate-quality evidence [ 6], moderate-quality evidence [ 21], and low-quality evidence [ 19] as a weak recommendation, a strong recommendation, a weak recommendation, and a strong recommendation, respectively.
However, due to limited data these recommendations have a weak grading.
When making a strong recommendation we used the terminology "We recommend…" whereas when making a weak recommendation, less definitive wording was used, such as, "We suggest…" was used.
There is a strong recommendation for postnatal vitamin K, and a weak recommendation in favor of antenatal vitamin K for women in premature labor.
The GRADE (Grade of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation) system was used, with a strong recommendation indicating a clear advantage for an intervention and a weak recommendation indicating that the balance between desirable and undesirable effects of an intervention is not clearly defined.
The concept of using corticosteroids for patients with severe CAP is based on studies that should be categorized as both a weak recommendation (two studies) and a strong recommendation (two studies) with either low- or moderate-quality evidence, thus reflecting a global 'weak recommendation'.
On the basis of their results, the use of corticosteroids as adjunctive therapy in severe CAP should be categorized as a weak recommendation (two studies) and a strong recommendation (two studies) with either low- or moderate-quality evidence.
Each recommendation was thus allocated a final level of evidence which determined its wording: (i) we recommend (or we do not recommend) for a strong recommendation, (ii) we strongly suggest (or we strongly do not suggest) for a moderate recommendation (iii) we suggest (or we do not suggest) for a weak recommendation (Additional file 1, Table S2).
The quality of evidence is moderate for stillbirths given the wide uncertainty in the results; the intervention cannot be recommended exclusively for preventi ng stillbirth and thus received a weak recommendation against the intervention for this outcome.
The intervention is strongly recommended for preventing low birth weight and reducing maternal morbidity, but has a weak recommendation for preventing preterm births.
The intervention is not recommended for the prevention of low birth weight or stillbirths, and has a weak recommendation for preventing preterm births, given its small effect size.
