Critical Appraisal of Clinical Practice Guidelines

Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) are summaries of best evidence, ideally from rigorous systematic reviews, which are then delineated as recommendations for practice. CPGs are a big help for busy clinicians – IF the CPG is based on evidence that is reliable and valid! This post will provide a “How To” of the questions to ask when you are conducting a critical appraisal of clinical practice guidelines. Explanations of why the specific questions are important to ask are included.