Mastering Evidence-Based Practice: Search Strategies and Critical Appraisal

Refine your ability to critically evaluate healthcare research and apply evidence-based principles in practice on this two-week course from the Universiti Malaya.

Gain essential skills in assessing study design, hierarchy of evidence, and research validity to support informed healthcare decisions.

You’ll learn to create precise research questions, produce effective search strategies, and develop proficiency in using standardised critical appraisal tools to evaluate research quality with confidence.

Understand the foundations of evidence-based practice

Start your learning with an exploration of study design principles and the hierarchy of evidence. You’ll learn to formulate clear, researchable questions and craft search strategies that yield high-quality, relevant sources using appropriate databases and resources.

By the end of the first week, you’ll be able to navigate research databases efficiently, critically assess sources, and identify credible evidence to support healthcare decision-making.

Develop critical appraisal techniques for research evaluation

Then, build your ability to systematically analyse research by using standardised critical appraisal tools.

You’ll practice evaluating research articles, assessing their validity, reliability, and applicability, and distinguishing between high-quality studies and misleading conclusions.

Through hands-on exercises and expert guidance from Prof. Rafdzah Binti Ahmad Zaki, a Public Health Medicine Specialist and Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, you’ll refine your ability to interpret research findings effectively and integrate them into evidence-based practice.