KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Critical appraisal tools are structured checklists that facilitate the assessment of quality, reliability, and relevance of clinical evidence.
• Although hundreds of critical appraisal tools are available, not all have been validated.

Critical appraisal tools and reporting guidelines are complementary research instruments with distinct roles in evidence-based science. Reporting guidelines, such as CONSORT, PRISMA, and CHEERS, specify the essential information to include in a manuscript to provide a clear, complete, and transparent account of the study methods and findings. Critical appraisal tools, on the other hand, aid in the assessment of reported data for validity, trustworthiness, importance, and applicability to clinical practice.

The EQUATOR Network has been instrumental in collecting, developing, and promoting reporting guidelines; however, there is no equivalent initiative for critical appraisal tools, making it difficult to locate the most appropriate tool for a given type of evidence. Compounding the issue is the fact that of the >500 critical appraisal tools available, few have been tested for validity and reliability.

The EQUATOR Network has been instrumental in collecting, developing, and promoting reporting guidelines; however, there is no equivalent initiative for critical appraisal tools, making it difficult to locate the most appropriate tool for a given type of evidence.

An item in the EQUATOR Network Newsletter highlights websites that compile critical appraisal tools:

• CATevaluation: an online library of critical appraisal tools that have been tested for validity and/or reliability. The database includes tools applicable to a wide range of  study designs, such as randomised controlled trials, cross-sectional studies, case series, mixed-method studies, and systematic reviews.
• SR Toolbox: an online catalogue of resources to support the development and appraisal of systematic reviews. Critical appraisal tools are available in the “Quality assessment” section.
• Quality Assessment and Risk of Bias Tool Repository: a downloadable spreadsheet containing details of over 50 quality assessment/risk of bias tools that can be used in evidence synthesis projects.

Additional guides to critical appraisal tools are available from university libraries such as those at Temple University and University of South Australia.

The authors of the newsletter article call for the development of a dedicated international network focusing on critical appraisal tools, and harmonisation between reporting guidelines and critical appraisal tools for matching study designs, to facilitate the assessment of clinical evidence.

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