2. Appraising the relevance of results

2.3 The eight steps

8. Summary of a critical review

The aim of clinical research is to analyze and quantify human biological phenomena in conditions that are subject to a strict set of rules. Yet such investigations may be limited for various reasons: methodological (follow-up is too long-term for large numbers of cohorts, or the expected outcome is too weak, etc.), budgetary, or ethical. This approach requires the reviewer to have prior basic knowledge of methodologies. Yet, clinically speaking, this is an essential step. The reviewer can, with a critical eye, dissect and evaluate the protocol that the authors have come up with to complete the study they have published.