The strength of a recommendation communicates the importance of adherence to the recommendation: 

Strong recommendations: With strong recommendations, the guideline communicates the message that the desirable effects of adherence to the recommendation outweigh the undesirable effects. This means that in most situations the recommendation can be adopted as policy. 

Conditional recommendations: These are made when there is greater uncertainty about the four factors above (Table 2) or if local adaptation must account for a greater variety in values and preferences, or when resource use makes the intervention suitable for some, but not for other locations. This means that there is a need for substantial debate and involvement of stakeholders before this recommendation can be adopted as policy. 

When not to make recommendations; when there is lack of evidence on the effectiveness of an intervention, it may be appropriate not to make a recommendation.