7.3.5.3 Outcome (dependent variable)

It should be clearly reported in this section what the outcome (disease or condition) is, and how it may be measured/identified. Commonly, the outcome of reviews of etiology and risk is often the incidence or observed rate of a disease or condition. Outcomes should be presented in a non-directional expression; for example, the outcome should simply be stated as the incidence of lung cancer, not an increase in lung cancer, as the evidence may suggest that the exposure has no effect and does not increase risk (neutral factor) or may decrease the risk (protective factors). The review protocol should specify the important outcomes of interest relevant to the health issue and relevant to key stakeholders like the knowledge users, consumers, policy makers, consumers and the like.