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Table 4 Criteria for good measurement properties & certainty of evidence according to the modified GRADE method

From: Identification of tools used to assess the external validity of randomized controlled trials in reviews: a systematic review of measurement properties

Tool or dimension

Content validity

Internal consistency

Reliability

Measurement error

Criterion validity

Construct validity

“Applicability”-dimension of LEGEND [77]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Low

     

“Applicability”-dimension of Carr´s evidence-grading scheme [63]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Very Low

     

Bornhöft´s checklist [78]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Very Low

     

Cleggs´s external validity assessment [64]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Very Low

     

Clinical Applicability [66]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Very Low

     

Clinical Relevance Instrument [79, 80]

CGMP

(?)

 

(-)

   

GRADE

Moderate

 

Moderate

   

Clinical Relevance according to the CCBRG [81]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Moderate

     

Clinical relevance scores [68]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Very Low

     

Estrada´s applicability assessment criteria [82]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Very Low

     

External Validity Assessment Tool (EVAT) [83]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Low

     

“External validity”-dimension of the Downs & Black Checklist [22, 84]

CGMP

(?)

(?)

(±)a

(?)

 

(-)

GRADE

Moderate

Very Low

Moderate

Very Low

 

Very Low

“External validity”-dimension of Foy´s quality checklist [65]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Very Low

     

“External validity”-dimension of Liberati´s quality assessment criteria [69]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Very Low

     

“External validity”-dimension of Sorg´s checklist [71]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Very Low

     

“External validity”-criteria of the USPSTF manual [73, 84]

CGMP

(?)

 

(+)

   

GRADE

Very Low

 

Very Low

   

Feasibility, Appropriateness, Meaningfulness and Effectiveness (FAME) scale [70]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Very Low

     

Generalizability, Applicability and Predictability (GAP) checklist [76]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Very Low

     

Gartlehner´s tool [86, 87]

CGMP

(?)

 

(-)

(?)

(+)

 

GRADE

Very Low

 

Moderate

Very Low

Very Low

 

Green & Glasgow´s external validity quality rating criteria [88, 90, 91]

CGMP

(?)

 

(+)

  

(-)

GRADE

Very Low

 

Very Low

  

Very Low

“Indirecntess”-dimension from the GRADE Handbook [48, 92, 93]

CGMP

(?)

 

(-)

   

GRADE

Moderate

 

Very Low

   

Loyka´s external validity framework [75]

CGMP

(?)

  

(?)

  

GRADE

Very Low

  

Low

  

modified “Indirectness” of the Checklist for GRADE [94, 95]

CGMP

(?)

 

(-)

   

GRADE

Low

 

Very Low

   

External validity checklist of the National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Handbook [74]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Very Low

     

revised Graphical Appraisal Tool for Epidemiological Studies (GATE) [72]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Very Low

     

Rating of Included Trials on the Efficacy-Effectiveness Spectrum (RITES) [47, 97]

CGMP

(+)

 

(+)

  

(+)

GRADE

Moderate

 

Very Low

  

Low

“Selection Bias”-dimension (Section A) of EPHPP [98, 99]

CGMP

(?)

 

(-)

  

(+)

GRADE

Moderate

 

Low

  

Very Low

Section C of the CASP checklist for RCTs [100]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Very Low

     

Whole Systems research considerations´checklist [67]

CGMP

(?)

     

GRADE

Very Low

     
  1. Abbreviations: CCBRG Cochrane Collaboration Back Review Group, CGMP criteria for good measurement properties, EPHPP Effective Public Health Practice Project, GRADE Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation, LEGEND Let Evidence Guide Every New Decision, NICE National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, USPSTF U.S. Preventive Services Task Force;
  2. Criteria for good measurement properties: (+) = sufficient; (?) = indeterminate; (-) = insufficient, (±) or inconsistent
  3. Level of evidence according to the modified GRADE approach: high, moderate, low, or very low evidence.Note: the measurement properties “structural validity” and “cross-cultural validity” are not presented in this table, since they were not assessed in any of the included studies
  4. Fields left blank indicate that those measurement properties were not assessed by the study authors
  5. a please refer to Table S4 for more information on reliability of the “external validity”-dimension of the Downs & Black checklist
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