Critical appraisal is the process of evaluating the quality of published evidence.

It allows health professionals to assess the accuracy of diagnostic tests and efficacy of therapies and preventions, and thereby improve and optimize their clinical practice. The region supports local courses and there are several other resources that trainees may take advantage of:

Courses
UHCW - Magdy Sakar: magdy.sakr@uhcw.nhs.uk
UHNS - Ruth Kinston: ruth.kinston@uhns.nhs.uk
Royal Derby Hospital - Dr Dan Boden: dan.boden1@nhs.net or 07854213032
The Critical Appraisal Company  - online classes and face to face workshops (FCEM Course)
Bromley Critical Appraisal Course

Books:
Emergency Medicine Manual - good for definitions, thumbnail versions of terms, stats etc
How to read a paper (Greenhalgh) ­– Comprehensive, good for dipping into certain chapters but don’t need to read or know or understand it all.
Pocket guide to critical appraisal (Crombie) – worth buying, easy reading with small chapters and big headings.
The doctors guide to critical appraisal (Gosall)
Medical statistics made easy (Harris and Taylor)

Podcasts
HEFT EMCAST podcasts available on itunes Simon Laing

Live forums
Twitter journal club every Sunday evening organised by Natalie Silvey ACCS trainee: #twitjc

Local contacts
Consultants at Stoke, Shrewsbury and Telford, Coventry, Heartlands

Journal Articles
Steve Goodacre's Papers published in the EMJ 2008:
            Emerg Med J 2008;25:219–221. doi:10.1136/emj.2007.057307
            Emerg Med J 2008;25:362–364. doi:10.1136/emj.2007.057315
            Emerg Med J 2008;25:590–592. doi:10.1136/emj.2007.057323
            Emerg Med J 2008;25:762–763. doi:10.1136/emj.2008.057331
            Emerg Med J 2009;26:53–56. doi:10.1136/emj.2007.057349
            Emerg Med J 2009;26:114–116. doi:10.1136/emj.2007.057356

Websites
College of emergency medicine - Look at training pages and also look in the documents section
Centre for evidence based medicine
Alberta University Evidence Based Medicine Toolkit
Bandolier
CEBMH
EMB website
EM Journal Club
Imperial College
KT Clearing House

E learning modules on www.enlightenme.org learning zone

LZ.B.12.1.001: Critical Appraisal: Appraising a Database Study, ST Elevation MI

LZ.B.12.1.002: Critical Appraisal: Appraising a Test - NEXUS vs Canadian C-spine

LZ.B.12.1.003: Critical Appraisal: Appraising a Test - BNP

LZ.B.12.1.004: Critical Appraisal: Appraising a Treatment, Hand Lacerations

LZ.B.12.1.005: Critical Appraisal: Appraising a Diagnostic Test: D-Dimer

LZ.B.12.1.006: Critical Appraisal: Appraising a Systematic Review - Migraine

LZ.B.12.1.007: Critical Appraisal: Appraising a Treatment, Early Goal Directed Therapy