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Evidence-Based Practice

Evaluating Evidence

Clinical research must be evaluated to ensure its reliability, enabling health professionals to make patient care decisions supported by solid evidence.

Critical appraisal is the process of systematically evaluating research studies to determine their trustworthiness, value, and relevance to a specific patient or population. 

Here are the key components of critical appraisal:

  • Relevance: Determining how applicable the findings are to a specific patient population or clinical setting.
    Tip: When reviewing a study, compare it to each component of your PICO question. Consider if differences, such as population characteristics, study setting, or the use of surrogate endpoints instead of patient-oriented outcomes, affect the study’s applicability to the PICO question.
  • Assessing Validity: Evaluating the study design, methodology, and potential biases to ensure the research is conducted properly.
    Tip: Use any of the foundational resources or evaluation checklists below to help you understand and evaluate the study methods.
  • Understanding Results: Examining the statistical analysis and the significance of the results.
  • Interpreting Findings: Understanding the implications of the results for clinical practice.

Source: Critical Appraisal Skills Programme

Evaluation Resources

The foundational resources listed below can be used to improve understanding of clinical research methods.

Critical appraisal checklists can help you evaluate the quality and relevance of research studies. They include a series of questions or criteria to ensure that all important factors are considered during your evaluation. Below are links to a sample of widely used checklists.

CASP Checklists (Critical Appraisal Skills Programme)

  • Downloadable checklists to help journal club participants critically appraise studies.
  • Checklists are categorized by study type. Once you identify the study design of the article to be presented, use the corresponding checklist.
  • Visit How to Use the CASP Checklists for more information.

JBI Critical Appraisal Tools (Joanna Briggs Institute)

  • Developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute for systematic reviews but may be useful for journal clubs.
  • Checklists are categorized by study design. Once you identify the study design of the article to be presented, use the corresponding checklist.

LATITUDES network

  • Designed to assist systematic review and meta-analysis teams in identifying the best assessment tools for evidence synthesis; however, it may also be useful for journal clubs.
  • A library of validity (risk of bias) assessment tools that can be used to appraise studies.
  • Assessment tools are organized by the name of the tool or the study type it should be used for.
     

What Study Design Am I Assessing? (Latitudes Network)

  • These videos will introduce you to some of the main study designs used for health and biomedical research.

Cochrane Critical Appraisal Playlist from Cochrane Collaboration

  1. Introduction to Critical Appraisal (9:33)
  2. Systematic Reviews and Meta Analysis (29:19)
  3. Randomized Controlled Trials (22:05)
  4. Cohort Studies (18:20)
  5. Case Control Studies (16:15)
  6. Cross Sectional Studies (10:48)
  7. Diagnostic Studies (23:20)

How to Appraise a Clinical Trial - Part 1 (8:39) and Part 2 (25:42) from Strong Medicine on youtube.com

Introduction to Critical Appraisal Playlist from University Hospitals Birmingham Library

  • Includes several unique videos on critical appraisal of case reports/series, economic evaluations, and animal studies.

Stats, STAT! Video Series (New England Journal of Medicine)

  • Includes brief, animated videos that explain statistical concepts related to clinical research.