Evaluating Evidence

What is Critical Appraisal?

After finding articles, we need to determine what is worth keeping and including in our research. We do this through a critical appraisal of each piece of evidence. Critical appraisal carefully and systematically examines research to judge its trustworthiness, value, and relevance in a particular context (Daemen College Nursing Research Guide).

You want to ask:

• What are the results?
• Are the results valid?
• How useful is it to your patient/population/practice?

Critical Appraisal Tools

These tools will help you interpret the clinical and statistical significance of data reported in clinical research.