Promotional literature: How do we critically appraise?

How to critically appraise a medical article.

How to Appraise Research

When a practitioner wants to practice evidence-based practice they must know the good from the bad. If a practitioner is to make important clinical decisions based on research, then poorly conducted research can lead to poor decisions in practice. The discerning practitioner must know which research is good and should be used, which has some problems and should be used with caution, and which i...

How do we stand?

OBJECTIVE To equip medical practitioners with up-to-date scientific and medical information on the health effects of exposure to fungi in indoor air, clinical evaluation of these health problems, and possible preventive measures. QUALITY OF EVIDENCE MEDLINE was searched from 1985 to 2000 using the MeSH words mould (mold), fungus, indoor air, and health effects. Nearly all studies were case repo...

How do we know?

We know that every improvement is a change—but how do we know that a change is an improvement? Improvement experts and patients, each in their own terms, ask this question with appropriate impatience. 3 For example, how can valid conclusions be drawn when an improvement initiative employs no control population, or if the study employs predominantly qualitative measures? Indeed, some argue that ...

How do we feel?

Mammalian dorsal root ganglia (DRG) contain a diverse collection of sensory neuronal subtypes specialized to detect different sensory stimuli. Most of these cells respond to mechanical stimulation of some sort, be they proprioceptors detecting body movements, receptors for gentle touch or nociceptors activated by painful levels of pressure, and yet the proteins that detect mechanical stimuli re...