| Level |
Criteria |
| 1a |
Systematic review of randomized controlled trials |
| 1b |
Individual randomized controlled trial |
| 2a |
Systematic review of cohort studies |
| 2b |
Individual cohort study |
| 3a |
Systematic review of case-control studies |
| 3b |
Individual case-control study |
| 4 |
Case series |
| 5 |
Expert opinion without explicit critical appraisal or based upon physiology or bench research |