Residents who are being taught appraisal skills reportedly pay more attention to a study's methodology and are more critical of its conclusions.
Reported characteristics of successful JC include making attendance mandatory, small programs, teaching critical appraisal skills, having a moderator trained in critical appraisal and making food available [ 1, 2].
A Cochrane review cited found only one randomized trial on teaching critical appraisal skills rigorous enough and stated that conclusions about the effects of teaching critical appraisal are debatable [ 18].
Evidence Based Reviews in Surgery (EBRS) is an Internet journal club that is effective in teaching critical appraisal skills to practicing surgeons.
The objective of this randomized controlled trial was to determine whether teaching critical appraisal skills to surgical residents through the Internet is as effective as a moderated in-person journal club.
However, no studies have thus far examined the effectiveness of teaching critical appraisal within CAM education.
The effectiveness of teaching critical appraisal to students of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) has not been studied.
Many studies have examined the effectiveness of teaching critical appraisal skills in undergraduate medical and residency programmes [ 3].
A Cochrane review looking at the effectiveness of teaching critical appraisal skills to health professionals [ 20] found only one study that met their inclusion criteria and it showed that critical appraisal teaching has positive effects on participants' knowledge.
She spent 23 years teaching critical appraisal of the literature and fundamentals of epidemiology in chiropractic curricula, graduate and post-graduate programs in the US.
