The Critically Appraised Topics (CATs)
Project leader: Dr Taryn Bessen
The RANZCR is promoting evidence-based practice and critical appraisal skills amongst its membership.
It is doing this in two ways:
- An online website and database for completed Critically Appraised Topics (CATs) about radiology. A CAT provides a summary and appraisal of the literature relating to a specific clinical question. Appropriately credentialed individuals will be able to submit a critically appraised topic for peer review. Once the database is populated with CATs about radiology, it will become a valuable online resource for clinicians.
- To equip radiologists with the skills necessary to undertake a CAT, the QUDI Program commissioned the University of Queensland to develop the Introduction to evidence-based practice and critical appraisal skills on-line training program.
The program has a number of learning modules:- Introduction to evidence-based practice for clinicians
- Getting your clinical question ready for searching: This module teaches us how to frame an answerable clinical question
- Searching the literature, using a wide range of available resources
- Critical appraisal: Introduces the most commonly encountered terms and concepts in the results section of clinical papers
- Critically appraising clinical practice guidelines
- Critically appraising systematic reviews
- Critically appraising intervention (treatment) studies
- Critically appraising prognostic studies
- Critically appraising diagnostic studies: These modules enable us to understand the attributes of high quality studies and interpret the results of trials
- Making evidence-based practice work for you and your patients