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Health Business : Critical appraisal

What is critical appraisal and how do I start?

"Critical Appraisal is the process of carefully and systematically examining research to judge its trustworthiness, and its value and relevance in a particular context."

Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. (n.d.).Critical Appraisal Tools and Resources. https://casp-uk.net/critical-appraisal-tools-and-resources

Greenhalgh (2019) recommends three key questions when getting started with critical appraisal. 

  1. Why was the study needed and what was the research question? This should be clearly stated in the study either in the introduction or the early part of the method. Has the question already been answered by other studies? Does it add anything to knowledge in the area? 
  2. What was the research design? Qualitative/Quantitative? Or a combination of both? Primary/Secondary? What is the methodology? Answering these questions will help establish which checklist to use. 
  3. Was the research design appropriate to the question? Was this the best method for addressing the question? 

Greenhalgh, T. (2019). How to read a paper. John Wley. 

Critical thinking and appraisal e-books

Critical Appraisal Checklists

Using checklists will guide you through the process of examining studies to judge their trustworthiness, value and relevance. 

Assessing trustworthiness involves looking at the methodology to check for risk of bias.

Assessing value involves looking into the results.

Assessing relevance involves looking at how applicable the study is to your situation. 

 

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