Critical Appraisal – are there any tools that can help you? (#24)

When you are looking at research articles you need to appraise them critically for validity, results and relevance. This means looking at the paper in a systematic way to determine whether it is going to help you to answer your question.

There are a wide range of tools that can help you to develop your skills in doing this. Our etutorial Critical Appraisal Tools will introduce you to some tools that can help. The tools do not necessarily give you a definitive “yes” or “no” but they help you to ask the right questions to assess the paper.

Tools icon - use critical appraisal tools to help you to assess research papers

In a similar way that we use the CRAAP tool (see previous blog post) if an item fails your appraisal it does not necessarily mean that it is a rubbish paper, just that it will not help you to answer your question.

Comments

NHS OpenAthens - the essential username to access NHS resources

All NHS staff can register for an NHS OpenAthens username. This gives you access to a wealth of resources, providing you with evidence to make the best clinical decisions and deliver the best patient care. Key Evidence With a single username / password you can access a wide variety of healthcare focused, good quality, online information sources including: ebooks, journals, articles, clinical summaries, databases and clinical tools. Your Account Register for your account online via the online form . Make sure to use your work-based details so that your request is approved automatically. Check our NHS OpenAthens web page for more help on keeping your account up-to-date, including resetting your password. More help For more information and help about NHS OpenAthens: Go to our NHS OpenAthens help page for step-by-step instructions and support Complete our quiz NHS OpenAthens - what's fact or fake Contact your NHS OpenAthens admin if you need any help with your account

Resource of the week #1: Getting Started eTutorials

What is it? The Getting Started etutorials are a suite of online tutorials aiming to help you get started using our major resources. Key Features You’ll find out what information is available to you from the resource; how to access the resource; plus many more useful features. Our etutorials include interactive elements, step-by-step instructions and videos. Most tutorials are very short and each tutorial includes a menu so you can jump to the bit you need. You can download the etutorial reflection document at the end of the etutorial to keep a record of what you have learnt. Why not add this to your portfolio as a record of your development? Example screen-shot of the Using the Health Library etutorial How can it help you? eTutorials are available online, 24/7. So if you need some quick help they are available any time. The Getting Started etutorials cover topics such as: Using the Library Using ebooks Finding articles Finding journals Using datab...

Stop the Pressure Day – preventing pressure ulcers

Today Thursday 16 th November (2023) is Stop the Pressure Day. This national campaign aims to raise awareness of the seriousness of pressure ulcers and to highlight how to prevent pressure ulcers in patients. Pressure ulcers are a key indicator of nursing care . Use our resources to learn more about pressure ulcers, how you can prevent them and how you can treat them. Check these key resources : [You will need your NHS OpenAthens username to access these resources] Oxford Medicine Online Chapter 27 Pressure ulcer prevention and management in Oxford Handbook of Nursing Older People Chapter 24 Preventing and limiting deterioration on the medical wards in Handbook of Patient Safety BMJ Best Practice – Pressure Ulcer Clinical Knowledge Summaries – Pressure Ulcers Cochrane Library Clinical Answers – How do different support surfaces compare in terms of pressure ulcer prevention? RCN i journal Nursing Standard - U...

Information Skills for Health

Search This Blog