| Domains Pertaining to Strength of Evidence | Magnitude of Effect | Strength of Evidence | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Studies; Number of Subjects | Risk of Bias; Design | Consistency | Directness | Precision | Summary Effect Size (95% CI) | High, Moderate, Low, Insufficient |
| PTSD Symptom Reduction: various outcome measures | ||||||
| 1; 30a | Medium; RCTs | NA, single study | Direct | Imprecise | WMD −10.8, p=ns | Insufficient |
| Symptom Remission | ||||||
| 1; 30 | Medium; RCT | NA, single study | Direct | Imprecise | RD 0.13, p=ns | Insufficient |
| Loss of Diagnosis | ||||||
| 3; 96 | Medium; RCTs | Inconsistent | Direct | Imprecise | RD range 0.13 to 0.58b | Low |
| Prevention/reduction of comorbid depression | ||||||
| 3; 96 | Medium; RCTs | Inconsistent | Direct | Imprecise | P<0.05 in 3 of 3 studies | Low |
| Prevention/reduction of comorbid anxiety | ||||||
| 3; 96 | Medium; RCTs | Inconsistent | Direct | Imprecise | P<0.05 in 3 of 3 studies | Low |
| Return to work | ||||||
| 2; 66 | Medium; RCTs | Inconsistent | Direct | Imprecise | P<0.05 for 1 of 2 trialsc | Insufficient |
The three trials used different outcome measures—two found small or medium effect sizes using the CAPS and SI-PTSD, respectively. The other did not report enough data to determine effect sizes.
The three trials were consistent in the sense that they all found more subjects in the BEP group with loss of PTSD diagnosis compared with the WL group. However, the magnitude of the differences between groups was inconsistent
One trials reported percentage of subjects on sick leave and the other reported percentage who had returned to work.
CI = confidence interval; mths = months; NA = not applicable; PTSD = post-traumatic stress disorder; RCT = randomized controlled trial
From: Appendix I, Strength of Evidence
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