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What is a CAT?

CAT stands for Critically Appraised Topics. CATs were developed in the early 1990s as a means of teaching the principles of evidence-based practice. Different acronyms have emerged in different specialties, such as POEMs in family medicine.

When undertaking a CAT, a clinician typically

1. Formulates a question based on a clinical problem
2. Searches the literature for clinical research that addresses the question
3. Evaluates the research for
   • Validity
   • Importance
   • Applicability to the care of his/her patients
4. Writes and files a page summarizing the findings.

For a lively discussion of how CATs were developed and how they are used for teaching evidence-based practice, see:

Sackett, David L et al. Evidence-Based Medicine: How to Practice and Teach EBM. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Churchill-Livingstone, 2000, p. 87-89.

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