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CATWalk: A Guide to Critically Appraised Topics

What is a CAT?

CATs were developed in the early 1990s as a means of teaching the principles of evidence-based medicine. Different acronyms have emerged in various specialties (e.g., POEMS in family medicine), but they all do essentially the same thing.

When preparing a CAT, you will:

  • Formulate a clinical question
  • Search for clinical research that might address the question
  •  Evaluate that research for
    • Validity
    • Importance
    • Applicability to care of your patient
    • Write and file a summary page

Learning about Evidence Based Medicine

Critical Appraisal Tools by Review Type

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