Critical Appraisal Tools to Aid Pharmacists in Evidence-Based Practice: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Background: Pharmacists and allied health researchers need to ensure that their practice is supported by current, evidence-based information. Critical appraisal tools have been developed to aid in this process. Objectives: To analyze the current landscape of critical appraisal tools and to create an aid for pharmacists and other allied health researchers to use in comparing various tools and choosing the best one for each particular study design. Data Sources: A literature search of the PubMed, University of Toronto Libraries, and Cochrane Library databases was conducted in December 2021, to generate an up-to-date list of critical appraisal tools. The tools were then summarized in a descriptive table. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Review articles, original manuscripts, and tool webpages were examined to develop a comparison chart based on the user-friendliness, efficiency, comprehensiveness, and reliability of each tool. Results: Fourteen tools were found through the literature search. These tools were compared using the findings of included review articles, and a comparison chart was created to aid pharmacists and allied health researchers in selecting the appropriate tool for their practice. Conclusions: There are many standardized critical appraisal tools that can help in assessing the quality of evidence, and the summary list of tools developed and reported here can help health care researchers to compare among them and choose the best one. No tools were found that have been specifically adapted to serve the needs of pharmacists when assessing scientific articles. Future research should examine how existing critical appraisal tools can better identify common data elements that are essential to evidence-based decision-making in pharmacy practice.