Unreliable summary

Unfounded assumptions

Be careful with intervention comparisons that are sensitive to assumptions that are made.

Sometimes treatment claims depend on putting together different types of evidence and making assumptions. For example, a claim about the effects of using a screening test may depend on how accurate the test is, assumptions about how the test results will affect treatment choices, and evidence of the effects of the treatment.

When treatment claims depend on assumptions, it is important to consider the basis for the assumptions and to test how sensitive the results are to changes in the assumptions.

For example, claims about the importance of language screening in school may be dependent on the validity and reliability / accuracy of the screener, as well as effectiveness of any intervention identified pupils could receive, alongside capacity for providing this. If there is uncertainty around these or other assumptions, it is important to consider the assumption that there is value to carrying out the language screener.

BEWARE: treatment claims that are based on assumptions

REMEMBER: Whenever treatment claims depend on assumptions, think about whether the assumptions are well-founded and how sensitive the results are to changes in the assumptions that were made.