====== Critical Appraisal Systems for Scientific Evidence ====== //[[J.Sales-Llopis]]// //Neurosurgery Department, [[General University Hospital Alicante]], [[Spain]]// ---- ---- === Definition === [[Critical appraisal]] refers to the [[systematic]] [[evaluation]] of clinical research [[evidence]] to assess its [[validity]], [[result]]s, and [[relevance]] before applying it to [[decision-making]] in healthcare. ---- === Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Tools === * **Purpose**: Evaluate methodological quality across various study types (RCTs, cohort studies, case series, qualitative research, etc.). * **Strengths**: Detailed checklists tailored to each design; transparent criteria. * **Limitations**: Time-consuming; less commonly used in some medical specialties. === GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) === * **Purpose**: Rates certainty of evidence and strength of clinical recommendations. * **Strengths**: Widely endorsed by WHO, Cochrane, and others; integrates evidence with values/preferences. * **Limitations**: Complex for non-specialists; primarily designed for guideline development. === CASP (Critical Appraisal Skills Programme) === * **Purpose**: Provides structured checklists for evaluating studies, especially qualitative and RCTs. * **Strengths**: Easy to use; ideal for teaching; widely adopted in nursing and public health. * **Limitations**: May oversimplify complex methodological issues. === AMSTAR (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews) === * **Purpose**: Assesses the quality of systematic reviews. * **Strengths**: Validated tool; helps distinguish high- from low-quality reviews. * **Limitations**: Not applicable to primary studies; requires familiarity with systematic review standards. === SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) Checklists === * **Purpose**: Appraise study quality for use in clinical guideline development. * **Strengths**: Emphasizes study design hierarchy and methodological rigor. * **Limitations**: More focused on clinical questions; less adaptable for broader research areas. === Comparative Summary Table === ^ System ^ Best For ^ Key Features ^ Complexity ^ Widely Used ^ | JBI | Methodological quality | Design-specific checklists | Medium | ✓✓ | | GRADE | Clinical guideline development | Certainty + recommendation strength | High | ✓✓✓ | | CASP | Education and training | User-friendly checklists | Low | ✓✓ | | AMSTAR | Systematic reviews | 16-point validated tool | Medium | ✓✓ | | SIGN | Evidence for guidelines | Evidence level + quality rating | Medium | ✓✓ | ====== Best Prompts for Critical Appraisal Systems for Scientific Evidence ====== === 🔎 General Critical Appraisal === * Critically appraise the following article using the most appropriate checklist based on its study design. Provide strengths, weaknesses, and a summary judgment on its reliability. [Paste full abstract or article details here] * What critical appraisal tool should I use for this type of study? It's a [randomized controlled trial / systematic review / qualitative study / cohort study]. * Explain step-by-step how to critically appraise a scientific article, and show how to apply that process to this paper: [Paste citation or summary] ---- === 📋 Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) === * Use the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist to assess the methodological quality of the following [type of study]: [Insert abstract or key information] * Generate a completed JBI critical appraisal checklist for a [cohort study / qualitative research / case series] using the following article: [Insert article] ---- === 🌍 GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) === * Summarize the strength of the evidence in this article using GRADE criteria: risk of bias, inconsistency, indirectness, imprecision, and publication bias. [Insert abstract or results section] * Using the GRADE framework, classify the quality of evidence and strength of recommendation for the following clinical practice guideline: [Insert guideline or summary] ---- === ✅ CASP (Critical Appraisal Skills Programme) === * Apply the CASP checklist to this randomized controlled trial and summarize the results of each question. [Insert study citation or abstract] * Give a teaching-friendly explanation of how to use the CASP checklist for evaluating a qualitative study. Include examples if possible. ---- === 📊 AMSTAR (A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews) === * Apply the AMSTAR 2 checklist to this systematic review and determine if it is high, moderate, low, or critically low quality. [Insert systematic review details] * Explain each domain of the AMSTAR 2 tool in simple terms and show how it is applied in practice. ---- === ⚖️ SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) === * Use the SIGN methodology to critically evaluate the following clinical trial for its inclusion in guideline development: [Insert article summary or results] * Explain how SIGN levels of evidence differ from GRADE, and when each should be used. ---- === 🧠 Meta Appraisal (Advanced) === * Compare the appraisal of the same study using JBI, CASP, and GRADE frameworks. Identify key differences in focus, scoring, and conclusions. [Insert article] ---- **Tip**: These prompts can be used directly in ChatGPT or GPT-4 to train students, conduct systematic reviews, or evaluate clinical articles in your daily practice.