Academic Radiology
Volume 11, Issue 2 , Pages 134-140, February 2004

Critically assessing the radiology literature1:☆

Critical thinking skills symposium

  • C.Craig Blackmore, MD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence to C.C.B., Department of Radiology, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, 325 Ninth Avenue, Box 359728, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
    • Department of Radiology, Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington, 325 Ninth Avenue, Box 359728, Seattle, WA 98104, USA

Received 10 July 2003; accepted 14 July 2003.

Abstract 

To practice evidence-based radiology, knowledge of how to critically assess the literature is vital. This article outlines how to evaluate the radiology literature by asking these questions: Is it true?, Is it relevant?, and Is it sufficient? Clinical examples are used to explain several important causes of bias, as well as to clarify how these biases can affect the relevance of a particular study to a given clinical situation. Finally, discussion centers on the strength of evidence for both positive and negative findings in a research study.

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☆ Supported in part by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality grant K08 HS11291

PII: S1076-6332(03)00651-2

doi:10.1016/S1076-6332(03)00651-2

Academic Radiology
Volume 11, Issue 2 , Pages 134-140, February 2004

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