title: Critical appraisal for public health: a new checklist.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There have been a number of attempts to develop critical appraisal tools, but few have had a public health focus. This paper describes a new checklist with public health aspects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review of previous appraisal instruments and pilot test of new checklist.
  
  
  METHODS
  Criteria of particular reference to public health practice were added to well-established appraisal criteria. The checklist was piloted with 21 public health professionals, research staff or postgraduate students.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The checklist is organized using the 'ask', 'collect', 'understand' and 'use' categories of the Population Health Evidence Cycle. Readers are asked to assess validity, completeness and transferability of the data as they relate to: the study question; key aspects of the methodology; possible public health implications of the key results; and the implications for implementation in their own public health practice. Of the 21 public health professionals that piloted the checklist, 20 said that they found the checklist useful and 18 would use it or recommend it in the future. Participants were prepared to commit to the majority of the questions, and there was good agreement with a consensus of 'correct' answers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The public health critical appraisal checklist adds public health aspects that were missing from previous critical appraisal tools.
authors.affiliation: Evidence for Population Health Unit, Division of Epidemiology and Health Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK. Dick.Heller@manchester.ac.uk
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Heller
authors.forename: Arpana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.forename: Islay
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gemmell
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Edwards
mesh_terms: D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D011634:Public Health / Q000592:standards*; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards*