The assessment of clinical benefit, harm, or no benefit or harm was based on the point estimate of absolute effect for intervention studies, which was standardised across the reviews. The committee considered for most of the outcomes in the intervention reviews that if at least 100 more participants per 1000 (10%) achieved the outcome of interest in the intervention group compared to the comparison group for a positive outcome then this intervention was considered beneficial. The same point estimate but in the opposite direction applied for a negative outcome. For the critical outcome of mortality any reduction represented a clinical benefit. For adverse events 50 events or more per 1000 (5%) represented clinical harm. For continuous outcomes if the mean difference was greater than the minimally important difference (MID) then this resented a clinical benefit or harm. For outcomes such as mortality any reduction or increase was considered to be clinically important. This assessment was carried out by the committee for each critical outcome, and an evidence summary table was produced to compile the committee s assessments of clinical importance per outcome, alongside the evidence quality and the uncertainty in the effect estimate (imprecision). 4.3.7 Clinical evidence statements Clinical evidence statements are summary statements that are included in each review chapter, and which summarise the key features of the clinical effectiveness evidence presented. The wording of the evidence statements reflects the certainty or uncertainty in the estimate of effect. The evidence statements are presented by outcome and encompass the following key features of the evidence: The number of studies and the number of participants for a particular outcome. An indication of the direction of clinical importance (if one treatment is beneficial or harmful compared to the other, or whether there is no difference between the 2 tested treatments). 