Original Title: Revisión externa y validación de instrumentos metodológicos para la Lectura Crítica y la síntesis de la evidencia científica

Authors' objectives: 1. Design a methodological tool in electronic format that facilitates the critical reading and summary of scientific evidence. 2. Determine the validity of these instruments with regard to their capacity to facilitate the systematic review process for a number of different user profiles.

Authors' results and conclusions: Following the external review process, which consisted of three stages, version 1.0.7. of the computer application, FLC Osteba, was obtained. This version contains seven instruments to measure the quality of scientific evidence, each one of them corresponding to one type of epidemiological design of scientific articles. Each instrument is subdivided into 10 areas in accordance with the concept to be measured and each area contains specific criteria for evaluating the quality of the evidence. With regard to the utility of these instruments, 97.9% considered these to be useful, while 52.1% corresponded to the «very useful» response category and 45.8% to the «quite useful» category. None of the 48 people who assessed the application experienced any difficulty in its use. The help menus, evidence tables, glossary and user manual were considered to be very useful. Eightpeople suggested that the quality criteria of studies should be extended. Minimum differences have been found in the appraisal of Osteba Critical Reading Sheets, in accordance with the different evaluating profiles. In general, those persons with a greater knowledge of epidemiology considered these instruments to be more useful in comparison to those with less knowledge of this subject.

Authors' recommendations: In the light of the results obtained following the external review and subsequent validation of Osteba Critical Reading Sheets, it has been shown that these instruments, designed to measure the quality of scientific evidence, are helpful, exhaustive and easy to use. Nevertheless, the suggestions contributed by a number of people who have taken part in the development of this project have still to be included. These will give rise to a new version of Osteba Critical Reading Sheets.

Authors' methods: • For objective 1: an external review has been made of the first version of the computer application developed prior to this study through the systematic review of other instruments, designed to enable an assessment of the quality of the scientific evidence. • For objective 2: the validity of the content and of the overall appearance has been analysed according to the profiles of 48 different evaluators.

Project Status: Completed

URL for project: http://www.lecturacritica.com/en/

Year Published: 2008

URL for published report: https://www.euskadi.eus/contenidos/informacion/2008_osteba_publicacion/es_def/adjuntos/e_08_02_lectura_critica.pdf

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: Spain

Organisation Name: Basque Office for Health Technology Assessment

Contact Address: C/ Donostia – San Sebastián, 1 (Edificio Lakua II, 4ª planta) 01010 Vitoria - Gasteiz

Contact Name: Lorea Galnares-Cordero

Contact Email: lgalnares@bioef.eus

Copyright: Basque Office for Health Technology Assessment, Health Department Basque Government (OSTEBA)