General concept in appraising article (Part 2)

In Part 2 of our critical appraisal session, we explore how to systematically evaluate research and determine its usefulness in clinical and public health decision-making.

Critical appraisal is not just about reviewing study results; it involves assessing the entire research process, including its design, methodology, and conclusions. The goal is not to dismiss studies but to carefully weigh their strengths and weaknesses to determine how much trust we can place in their findings.

Why is Critical Appraisal Important?

Critical appraisal is a vital skill for all health professionals, researchers, and policymakers. It helps ensure that decisions are based on sound evidence rather than poorly conducted studies. You don’t need to be a statistician to critically appraise a study—many practical checklists and frameworks can guide the process. These tools help identify valid, reliable, and applicable evidence by focusing on key aspects such as study design, sample size, and bias.

Key Aspects of Critical Appraisal

To critically evaluate a study, we must answer three key questions:

1. How well does the study’s PICO match your PICO?

2. How well was the study conducted?

3. What do the results mean?

In this session, we focus on the first question: How well does the study’s PICO match your PICO?

The PICO framework (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) helps structure research questions and guide study selection. When searching for evidence, it’s rare to find a study that perfectly matches your PICO criteria.

However, studies with closely related secondary outcomes can still be valuable. For example, if you are researching whether lumpectomy is better than mastectomy for preventing cancer recurrence, but a study focuses on patient survival instead, it may still provide useful insights.

Key Takeaways:

• Perfect matches are rare—assess how closely a study aligns with your PICO.

• Secondary outcomes matter—if a study’s primary outcome differs, but a secondary outcome is relevant, it may still be useful.

• Judgment is essential—decide whether the study contributes meaningful evidence to your research question.

Next, we will dive into the second key question: How well was the study conducted? Stay tuned!