Description
The previous article in this series looked at systematic reviews; their importance as a robust scientific method of critically appraising and synthesising body of evidence. When conducting a review the reviewer needs to critically appraise several studies. The appropriate critical appraisal skills are vital for any practitioner who wants to use a published article for the benefit of patients.
The Journal of the American Medical Association published a series of article under the general heading Users guides to the medical literature. In separate papers these gave guidance on the use of articles about therapy of prevention, about diagnostic tests, harm, and prognosis.
