Critical Appraisal Online Course

The Critical Appraisal Online Course is an exclusive multimedia resource for healthcare professionals who want to improve their critical appraisal knowledge and skills. This popular course teaches critical appraisal from first principles, assuming no prior knowledge.

Study anywhere

When and where you learn is entirely up to you. Study the course at your leisure in the comfort of your home or office with a broadband connection.

CPD accredited

Approved for continuing professional development by the CPD Standards Office.

Multimedia presentations

Crystal clear audio narration guides you through the multimedia presentations. Text, tables, figures and photographs help you learn better.

Interactive learning

Learning is best when it’s an interactive process. Test your understanding with quizzes at the end of each presentation.

Instant access

Start improving your critical appraisal skills today. Sign up to our online course to begin your training within minutes.

Great value

Save money on travel and accommodation costs with the online course.

Course content

  1. Introduction to evidence-based medicine
  2. The clinical question
  3. Types of studies - Overview
  4. Observational descriptive studies
  5. Observational analytical studies
  6. Experimental studies (interventional)
  7. Populations and samples
  8. Bias
  9. Confounding factors
  10. Randomisation
  11. Blinding
  12. Reliability and validity
  13. The hierarchy of evidence
  14. Intention to treat analysis
  15. Epidemiology
  16. Types of data
  17. Describing data from one sample
  18. Comparing samples - null hypothesis
  19. Comparing samples - statistical tests
  20. Comparing samples - risks and odds
  21. Relationships between variables
  22. Introduction to the checklist presentations
  23. Aetiological studies
  24. Diagnostic studies
  25. Treatment studies
  26. Prognostic studies
  27. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Learning objectives

  • Understand the meaning of evidence-based medicine and the importance of critical appraisal skills
  • Be able to identify different study designs
  • Be able to evaluate the methods of any study for strengths and weaknesses
  • Understand how to choose a statistical test to analyse data and be able to interpret the results of any study
  • Be able to calculate clinically useful statistics from results data
  • Be able to decide whether to change clinical practice based on the results of a study

Outcomes

  • Speed-read clinical research papers - and enjoy it!
  • Impress your colleagues in journal clubs with your critical appraisal skills!
  • Give gold standard answers to critical appraisal questions in interviews!
  • Write authoritative literature reviews and get top marks!
  • Pass critical appraisal exams with ease - no more revision required!

Individual

Team

Individual Subscriptions

1 Month

£125

  • Instant access
  • Unlimited viewing
  • Downloadable handouts
  • CPD accredited

Special offer: Includes a copy of The Doctor's Guide to Critical Appraisal (5th edition, 2020) worth £25. Posted free (UK only). Offer expires 31 October 2024. New customers only.

Subscribe now

3 Months

£250

  • Instant access
  • Unlimited viewing
  • Downloadable handouts
  • CPD accredited

Special offer: Includes a copy of The Doctor's Guide to Critical Appraisal (5th edition, 2020) worth £25. Posted free (UK only). Offer expires 31 October 2024. New customers only.

Subscribe now

Most popular

6 Months

£375

  • Instant access
  • Unlimited viewing
  • Downloadable handouts
  • CPD accredited

Special offer: Includes a copy of The Doctor's Guide to Critical Appraisal (5th edition, 2020) worth £25. Posted free (UK only). Offer expires 31 October 2024. New customers only.

Subscribe now

Best value

12 Months

£500

  • Instant access
  • Unlimited viewing
  • Downloadable handouts
  • CPD accredited

Special offer: Includes a copy of The Doctor's Guide to Critical Appraisal (5th edition, 2020) worth £25. Posted free (UK only). Offer expires 31 October 2024. New customers only.

Subscribe now

* Please note that a subscription is for individual use only. A subscription cannot be upgraded at a later date to a longer subscription by paying the difference, so please select your subscription duration carefully.

Team Subscriptions

10 Users, 12 Months

£1,250

  • A multiuser subscription starts as soon as payment is made. When the subscription is over, access for all users ends
  • We recommend you purchase a multiuser subscription only when you have details of all the users
  • For each user, you need to supply a name, username and password. User details can be entered one by one or you can upload all the details in a .csv file
  • Users automatically get an email with their access details
View purchase options

50 Users, 12 Months

£5,000

  • A multiuser subscription starts as soon as payment is made. When the subscription is over, access for all users ends
  • We recommend you purchase a multiuser subscription only when you have details of all the users
  • For each user, you need to supply a name, username and password. User details can be entered one by one or you can upload all the details in a .csv file
  • Users automatically get an email with their access details
View purchase options

100 Users, 12 Months

£7,500

  • A multiuser subscription starts as soon as payment is made. When the subscription is over, access for all users ends
  • We recommend you purchase a multiuser subscription only when you have details of all the users
  • For each user, you need to supply a name, username and password. User details can be entered one by one or you can upload all the details in a .csv file
  • Users automatically get an email with their access details
View purchase options
Contact us for bespoke options

Testimonials

Yesterday I booked a one month subscription (online critical appraisal) as I was not entirely sure about the course. After using it for less than 24 hours I have realized it is a tremendous course. My congratulations to the organizers. It is an amazing course.

Amaury Delgado Hernandez, UK

I think the online course is extremely helpful. It's exactly what I needed for preparing for my forthcoming exam.

Purnima Chhabra, UK

I am a final year SpR in Emergency Medicine. Many thanks for writing such an excellent book and for running an excellent on-line course. Both the book and the course makes it easy to understand statistics. I know at least six SpRs who read your book and passed the critical appraisal exam (which is one of the parts of the exit exam in Emergency Medicine). This exam is quite tough and your book and the course helps in understanding of the terms which makes it easy to write the applied answers.

Rajnish Mittal, UK

Overall i have been very impressed with the course. It quite closely follows the syllabus for [MRCPsych] Paper 3 critical appraisal. Overall great value for money and will be useful revision in the future when appraising studies.

Anna Wilkin, UK

I found the course invaluable. I have just completed a subject in evidence-based practice which did not provide as much detail or explain concepts so succinctly.

Kirrily Pols, Australia

I have found the online material very helpful. The use of examples and visual aids have been much appreciated as they seem to help one understand and memorize better. Ive found the course material to be relevant and up to the mark. The use of presentations uses a very smooth and easy flow.

Mohammad Wazir, UK

Excellent course for FCEM exam revision. Gives a solid grounding in critical appraisal which allows practice with confidence.

Mike Davison, UK

Thank you again for running such an informative and educational course especially for people like me who are not experienced researchers. I find that the course has already increased my confidence in reading and critically appraising articles.

Doris Tallon, UK

I have completed the online critical appraisal course and I would like to thank you very much for a well put together package and it has helped me greatly in my understanding of critical appraisal.

Wayne Thornton, UK

This online course is absolutely fantastic and well presented. i have just finished the methodology section and looking forward to the other lectures. I feel more confident already with critical appraisals. Well done.

Mohamud Amin, Ireland

Read more testimonials

Latest from our blog

Nick morrison F Hnnjk1 Yj7 Y unsplash 1

Our online training options

20th May 2020 | Online Course, Interview Practice

Critical Appraisal Live Virtual Classroom Courses Why not organise a tailor-made Live Virtual Classroom Course via WebEx, Skype or Zoom. Our team will be happy...

Find out more
See all blog posts