ABSTRACT

Having an understanding of critical appraisal and evidence-based medicine is a prerequisite to being an effective clinician. However, critical appraisal is often taught by people not involved in day-to-day clinical care, meaning the clinical relevance is not always brought to the fore.

This book takes a different approach. It is written by clinicians, for clinicians. It takes the reader step by step through the process so that any journal article can be easily read, evidence evaluated and the results - and their reliability - truly understood. By integrating this with knowledge of local skills and resources and patient preference, the reader will be able to apply the best possible care that his or her patients deserve.

This accessible book is suitable for undergraduates and postgraduates of all medical specialties, nursing, paramedics, pharmacists and all allied health professions. It is the ideal reference for anyone needing help writing a clinical topic review, reviewing a paper in a journal club or preparing for a critical appraisal exam. But most importantly, it is essential for those who wish to practice medicine in the best possible way for their patients, using the best evidence, tailored to the individual.

part |2 pages

Section 1 Introduction to Critical Appraisal

chapter 1|6 pages

Types of Papers and Grades of Evidence

chapter 2|10 pages

An Approach to Appraising Papers

part |2 pages

Section 2 Basic Statistics

chapter 4|10 pages

The Statistics Used in Papers

chapter 5|10 pages

Basic Probability

part |2 pages

Section 3 Appraising Different Types of Papers

chapter 6|12 pages

Observational Studies

chapter 7|6 pages

Qualitative Papers

chapter 8|18 pages

Therapeutic Papers

chapter 9|22 pages

Diagnostic Papers and Screening Papers

chapter 10|6 pages

Prognostic Papers

chapter 11|4 pages

Economic Studies

chapter 12|4 pages

Meta-Analysis

part |2 pages

Section 4 Applying the Knowledge

chapter 13|4 pages

Writing a Clinical Topic Review

chapter 14|4 pages

Running a Journal Club

part |2 pages

Section 5 Critical Appraisal Exams

chapter 16|8 pages

An Approach to Critical Appraisal Exams

chapter 17|30 pages

Practice Papers