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Critical appraisal skills for consumers: understanding the evidence using an online course on evidence-based health care for consumer advocates.

Kay Dickersin and Marianne Hamilton.
US Cochrane Center.
Maryann Napoli.
Feedback Management Advisory Group.
Musa Mayer.
Consumer Network.

Mhamilto doesnotexist@cochrane.org jhsph.edu


Objective: The workshop will introduce a web-based course for consumer advocates on evidence-based health care and critical appraisal skills that will be offered free of charge. The workshop will be an opportunity for the United States Cochrane Center (USCC) and the Consumers United for Evidence-based Health Care (CUE) to obtain feedback from Cochrane contributors.

Summary: Consumers are bombarded with healthcare information from the print media, TV, radio, internet and from their doctors. Interpreting the accuracy and validity of information is often difficult, as reports can be conflicting and evidence may seem to change over time. The United States Cochrane Center (USCC) and Consumers United for Evidence-based Health Care (CUE) have developed a web-based course on evidence-based health care and critical appraisal skills for consumer advocates.

At the conclusion of the online course, participants will be able to:

• understand what evidence-based healthcare is and how they can use it to inform their own healthcare decisions;
• find reliable sources of evidence-based information;
• critically appraise information found in clinical guidelines, healthcare websites, the lay news media, and journal articles (primary research and systematic reviews).