Quality Assurance and Accreditation Committee
The Hong Kong Practitioner VOLUME 25 / March 2003
Continuous professional development (CPD)


Introduction to critical appraisal and CPD accreditation

Continuous Professional Development aims to maintain, develop and broaden expertise and personal qualities in a health service with relentless change, allowing us to provide better care to our patients. Keeping up-to-date with the best available evidence is one of the essential steps in such pursuit.

Apart form attending lectures or seminars, the search for medical literature to answer one's clinical questions is invaluable in the process of learning. Indeed, this may be a more efficient self-directed and patient-oriented option in continuous medical education. In view of this, the Quality Assurance & Accreditation Committee is going to accredit CPD points on Critical Appraisal report of medical literature.

The aims of the critical appraisal exercise are to determine whether the evidence is true (validity) and whether it is relevant to our patient care (applicability).

Screening tools for critical appraisals have been developed for different types of research. As a beginning, we would wish to focus on those that are most germane to our clinical practice: therapeutic intervention. A modified/simplified checklist to critically appraise research studies on therapeutic intervention is enclosed. For members who are more familiar with critical appraisals of other types of studies (e.g. diagnostic test, screening test), you are most welcome to submit your critical appraisal reports.

We hope members will find the enclosed list helpful and enjoy the process of reading and critically appraising studies that are relevant to your practice.


Critical appraisal of medical literature on therapeutic intervention
 
Name :  
   
     
Title of paper :  
   
     
Published in : Hong Kong Practitioner: ...Vol....................No....................Page
   
Or      
   
    N.B. An authorized copy of the article should be enclosed if the article is taken from outside the Hong Kong Practitioner.
     
Type of paper : Is the article focused on therapeutic intervention? Yes No


Critical appraisal checklist:
1. What question did the author(s) try to answer? Did they answer it?
   
 
   
 
   
2. Were the results valid?
  (a) Were groups of patients randomised?
    Yes   No   Don't know
     
  (b) Were the intervention and control groups similar at the start of the trial?
    Yes   No   Don't know
     
  (c) Were patients and investigators blinded?
    Yes   No   Don't know
     
  (d) Was follow up complete?
    Yes   No   Don't know
     
  (e) Were patients analyzed in the groups to which they were initially randomised?
    Yes   No   Don't know
     
  (f) Were there clear measures of outcome?
    Yes   No   Don't know
     
  Your comments on the validity of the result
     
 
     
 
     
3. Are the results applicable to your patients?
  (a) Are the subjects in the study similar to mine?
    Yes   No   Not sure
     
  (b) Does the result have a potential benefit/harm on the health of my patients?
    Yes   No   Not sure
     
  (c) Is the intervention feasible and available to my practice?
    Yes   No   Not sure
     
  Your comments on the applicability of the result
   
 
   
 
   
4. Other learning points you may wish to discuss/comment:
   
 
   
 
   
   
References/Further reading
1.
Guyatt G, Sackett D, Cook D. User's guides to the medical literature II. How to use an article about therapy or prevention. Are the results of the study valid? Evidence-based medicine working group. JAMA 1993;270:2598-2061.
2.
Slawson D, Shaughnessy A, Ebell M, et al. Mastering medical information and the role of POEMs: patient-oriented evidence that matters. J Fam Pract 1997;45:195-196.
3.
Greenahlgh T. How to read a paper: getting your bearings (deciding what the paper is about). BMJ 1997;315:243-246.
4.
Slawson D, Shaughnessy A, Bennett J. Becoming a medical information master: feeling good about not knowing everything. J Fam Pract 1994;38:505-513.
5.
Charlton R. Continuing professional development and training. BMJ 2001;323:S2-730.

For Official Use Only

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Name of Assessor  
 
Date of Assessment  
 
Comment from Assessor  
 




Professional development log for articles in the Hong Kong Practitioner


Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is a requirement of Quality Assurance for College members. The pre-requisite criteria for CPD activities are:

(A)

Learner-focused;

(B) Involving a review process;
(C) Relevant to General/Family Practice;
(D) Educationally effective.
   
In order to assist members in gaining CPD accreditation, the Quality Assurance & Accreditation Committee has extended the Professional Development Log programme to articles published in the Hong Kong Practitioner. Members have to complete the Professional Development Log in order to obtain credits. Up to a maximum of 2 CPD credits will be awarded for satisfactory report of each educational activity. Please return this Log within 2 months after the date of the educational activity either by mail or fax to the College Secretariat. (Fax no. 2866 0241)

Name
:  
   
Title of paper :  
   
Published in :
Hong Kong Practitioner :   Vol. No Page
   

What new ideas/principles/conclusions that can you draw from this article?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Review your practice and list the specific objectives that you wish to achieve:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Timescale of your implementation:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
What are the outcomes after applying these ideas/principles/conclusions to your practice?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Comment if changes were not introduced or did not lead to improvement:
 
 
 
 
 
 


For Official Use Only
Score  
 
Name of Assessor  
 
Date of Assessment  
 
Comment from Assessor  
 
   
 
   
 
(i) Please add extra sheets if necessary
(ii) Please make photocopies for future use