How to quickly critically appraise a randomized control trial

Abstract

Being able to critically appraise scientific papers is an important skill. A thorough and methodical approach is necessary, particularly for peer-review purposes. However, it is also important to be able to do this quickly and efficiently. In some circumstances, students and trainees may be asked to perform a review on an unseen paper as part of an assessment. With apologies to my erstwhile teacher, David Sackett, this brief article offers a framework which will allow a fairly complete review of a randomized controlled trial in 15–20 min. This framework requires a reviewer to assess the Validity, Importance, Applicability, GReatness of benefit and Acceptability of any study and is encompassed by the acronym VIAGRA.

Citation

(2019). How to quickly critically appraise a randomized control trial. Paediatrics and Child Health, 57-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paed.2019.11.004

• Acceptance Date: Dec 9, 2019
• Publication Date: Dec 9, 2019
• Journal: Paediatrics and Child Health
• Print ISSN: 1205-7088
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Pages: 57-59
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paed.2019.11.004
• Keywords: assessment tools; evidence-based medicine; randomized controlled trial; RCT
• Publisher URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751722219302513