Critical appraisal of a statistical analysis: A novel visual guide

Abstract

Critical appraisal is a fundamental process in evidence-based medicine, serving as a bridge between research findings and clinical practice. 1 Critical appraisal assesses "the validity of the data, completeness of reporting, methods and procedures, conclusions, compliance with ethical standards, etc." While several critical appraisal tools have been developed, they do not focus on statistical validity, 2 and existing guides for assessing the value of medical literature do not include statistical methods for an array of data types, nor for both correlated data and nonparametric approaches. 3,4 There is therefore little guidance for reviewers to decide if the statistical analyses were appropriate.