Research Guides: Physical Therapy: Critical Appraisal

Critical Appraisal Resources

AGREE II
Assessment of practice guidelines.
AGREE II training tools
Appendix 1: Checklists for finding, appraising, and implementing evidence ( in Greenhalgh, Trisha. (2010). How to Read a Paper : The Basics of Evidence Based Medicine, 4th edition. ) [nyu.edu only]
Can I Use This Evidence in my Program Decision? Tool for Assessing Applicability and Transferability of Evidence (National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools)
(PDF Download - Tool for Assessing Applicability and Transferability of Evidence for Public Health Managers and Planners)
CASP International Network (CASPin)
The CASP International Network (CASPin) is an international collaboration which supports the teaching and learning of critical appraisal skills, and in particular helps other people set up sustainable training programmes. Appraisal tools are available for:
Systematic reviews
Randomised controlled trials
Qualitative research studies
Economic evaluation studies
Cohort studies
Case control studies
Diagnostic test studies
Consort Checklist Transparent Reporting of Trials
CEBM (Oxford's Centre for Evidence Based Medicine) - Critical Appraisal Worksheets
Systematic Review Critical Appraisal Sheet
Diagnostic Critical Appraisal Sheet
RCT Critical Appraisal Sheet
Prognosis Critical Appraisal Sheet
PICO Critical Appraisal Sheet (PDF)
PICO Critical Appraisal Sheet (MS-Word)
Educational Prescription Critical Appraisal Sheet (PDF)
Equator Network: Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research
Comprehensive searchable database of reporting guidelines for main study types and also links to other resources relevant to research reporting.
GRADE
The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (short GRADE) Working Group began in the year 2000 as an informal collaboration of people with an interest in addressing the shortcomings of present grading systems in health care. The working group has developed a common, sensible and transparent approach to grading quality of evidence and strength of recommendations.
Joanna Briggs Levels of Evidence
The New JBI Levels of Evidence and Grades of Recommendation are now being used for all JBI documents as of the 1st of March 2014.
National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools (NCCMT), Registry
Registry of appraisal and evaluation tools for:
Program planning (23)
Policy development (8)
Communication (17)
Capacity (individual, organizational, system) (17)
Partnerships (15)
Networks (17)
Equity (2)
KT theories (9)
Netting the Evidence, Critical Appraisal Checklists
The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) and User’s Guide
The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) is a systematic method to evaluate and compare the understandability and actionability of patient education materials. It is designed as a guide to help determine whether patients will be able to understand and act on information. Separate tools are available for use with print and audiovisual materials.
PEDro Tutorial (Physiotherapy Evidence Database)
Tutorial designed to help readers of clinical trials differentiate those trials which are likely to be valid from those that might not be. Also looks briefly at how therapists might use findings of properly performed studies to make clinical decisions
PRISMA Statement Web Site
Preferred Reporting Items for:
Systematic Reviews
Meta-Analyses
Transparent Reporting of Evaluations with Nonrandomized Designs (TREND)
Users' Guides to the Medical Literature: A Manual for Evidence-Based Clinical Practice, 3rd ed
The complete set of Users' Guides, originally published as a series in JAMA.
Fundamental tools for understanding and applying the medical literature and making clinical diagnoses.
Risk of Bias Tools, ROB-1 and ROB 2.0
McMaster EBP Research Group - Evidence Review Forms
Evidence review forms for appraising quantitative and qualitative evidence from the McMaster EBP Research Group.

The McMaster Occupational Therapy Evidence-based Practice group focuses on research to critically review evidence regarding the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions and to develop tools for evaluation of occupational therapy programmes.

Ranking and Appraising the Evidence

Appraising an article, a report, a protocol, a printed recommendation, etc. begins as you look at the document and evaluate the methodology and source of the research.

Start appraising by asking the following questions:

Who is the author?
Was it published by a credible source? (a scholarly journal? a popular periodical, e.g, newspaper or magazine? an association? an organization?)
Is the source a book? A journal article?
What is the date of publication?
What is the data or research based on? If it is a scholarly article, is there a "Methods" section?
Is there a reference list at the end of the document? From the reference list, you can assess currency of the information, credibility of the sources, level of evidence of the source material.

Tips for determining the "level of evidence" for an article.

Use the evidence pyramid or scheme supplied by your professor.
- One approach to levels of evidence is described by the Oxford Center for Evidence Based Medicine.
- Also see: Understanding Research Study Designs (University of Minnesota)
To track down a journal citation, select an article database (PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO etc.) using the author, article title, OR journal title.
Other tools for tracking down a citation not easily found in databases: scholar.google.com OR google.com Googling may provide a path to a more obscure document or report.
Within the article database, notice the "Publication Type" field for an individual citation. There is often an indication that a citation is a "randomized controlled trial," a "case report," a "review" article, etc.
- Caution: A "review" is not necessarily a "systematic review." Even if the title or abstract says "systematic review," carefully evaluate whether it is a true systematic review or merely a literature/narrative review.
Look at the article's abstract. Often an abstract will indicate the research design or methodology and thus can indicate the level of evidence.
Link to the full text of an article; then look for the Methods section to review how the research was conducted.
Use critical appraisal tools (CASP, PRISMA, etc.) to fully appraise article evidence.

Physical Therapy

Common Types of Research Designs

PRISMA and editable PRISMA Statements

Critical Appraisal Resources

Ranking and Appraising the Evidence

Start appraising by asking the following questions:

Tips for determining the "level of evidence" for an article.

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