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Evidence Based Practice: Appraisal

Critical Appraisal

Critical appraisal is a key step in the evidence-based practice process. By evaluating the studies you find in your database searches, you are ensuring that you have the best evidence to treat your patient with.

Appraisal tools allow a clinician to assess evidence for its validity, reliability, and applicability to clinical practice. When an appraisal tool is used to evaluate an article, the article is checked for:

  • Strengths and weaknesses of the articles study design and methodology
  • Relevance to your clinical question
  • Importance of the research question being answered
  • Legitimacy of conclusions
  • Any potential conflicts of interest

Below is a list of critical appraisal tools used in evidence-based medicine:

 

Limits and filters

 

Disciplines

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