Abstract

CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF A JOURNAL ARTICLE: EDUCATIONAL FORUM

Dr. Virendra Kushwaha, Dr. Mohit Trivedi, Dr. Pooja Agrawal* and Dr. Nasreen Fatma Khan

Abstract

Critical appraisal is the process of carefully and systematically examining research to evaluate the appropriateness of the study design for a research question and a careful assessment of the key methodological features of the design. But with increasing information overload for practicing evidence-based medicine, Clinicians must be able to select and appraise scientific literature that is relevant to their field, understand the implications of research findings for individual patients, elicit patients’ preferences and develop an appropriate management plan based on the combination of this information. For this, various guidelines and assessment tools have been developed to provide a structured approach to the process of critical appraisal for clinicians. This educational forum presents a 10-step guide for critical appraisal that aims to assist clinicians to identify the most relevant high-quality studies available to guide their clinical practice.

Keywords: Critical appraisal, research, evidence-based medicine, Clinician.