Skip to Main Content

Evidence Based Medicine

What is Critical Appraisal?

Critical appraisal is the process of carefully and systematically examining research to judge its trustworthiness, and its value and relevance in a particular context. It is an essential skill for evidence-based medicine because it allows clinicians to find and use research evidence reliably and efficiently

Burls, A. (2009). What is critical appraisal? In What Is This Series: Evidence-based medicine. Available online at What is Critical Appraisal?

Critical appraisal provides a framework for evaluating individual articles to determine if the information in the article is valid and appropriate for the individual patient in your care. There are a number of resources and tools to aid you in the appraisal process.

Tools for Critical Appraisal