ABSTRACT
Critical appraisal skills are essential for making decisions about whether to change clinical practice on the basis of the published literature, and for making decisions about the most important directions for future research. A valuable aspect of critical appraisal is that the process can help to prior-itise new research by highlighting gaps in knowledge and inadequacies in existing studies. A Cochrane review group is a network of researchers and/or clinicians who share an interest in a particular health problem and who provide their own funding. The Cochrane collaboration is based on the principles of encouraging the enthusiasm and interests of clinicians and researchers, minimising duplication of effort, avoiding bias and keeping up to date. The people who have undertaken Cochrane reviews encompass a wide range of professions including clinicians, health care practitioners, consumers, nurses and research scientists.
