Parameter

RCT based

guidelines

Pathophysiology based guidelines

1

External validity

Very poor

Very good

2

Internal validity

Very good

Good

3

Agreement among Societies

Very poor

Not tested

4

Influence on

Primary Care givers

Minimal

Not tested, but expectation high

5

Applicability to large # of patients

Moderate

High

6

Scientific basis

Narrow

Very broad

7

Types of studies considered

Primarily RCTs

All scientific studies

8

Difficulty of constructing guidelines

Moderate

High

9

Cost of medical treatment

Minimal

Minimal

10

Cost of surgical treatment

Very high

Very high