Summary of main points

• The Crowe Critical Appraisal Tool (CCAT) consists of
  • The CCAT form.
  • The CCAT user guide.
• Always use the CCAT Form and the CCAT User Guide together.
• Research designs should be appraised on their own merits, not to a ‘gold standard’.
• All categories must be scored: it does not matter which research design was used
  • The lowest score for a category is 0, the highest score is 5
  • Category scores are whole numbers only (that is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)
  • The score for each category must be reported
  • The total score (out of 40 or as a percent) is reported in addition to each category score.
• Item descriptors may be marked present (✔), absent (✘), or not applicable (◼).
  • Tick marks are not a check list to be totalled.
  • Tick marks are simply a guide to scoring a category.
• If in doubt use your best judgement, there is no right or wrong answer.

References