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Jonathan Hall Critical Evaluation Pharmacist, Southampton General Hospital

UKMi. UK Medicines Information. W. essex. Don’t let them pull the wool over your eyes or Why independent critical evaluation of the evidence is essential (and not all about stats). Wessex Drug and Medicines Information Centre, Pharmacy Department, Southampton General Hospital.

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Jonathan Hall Critical Evaluation Pharmacist, Southampton General Hospital

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  1. UKMi UK Medicines Information W essex Don’t let them pull the wool over your eyes or Why independent critical evaluation of the evidence is essential (and not all about stats) Wessex Drug and Medicines Information Centre, Pharmacy Department, Southampton General Hospital Jonathan Hall Critical Evaluation Pharmacist, Southampton General Hospital When the subject of critical evaluation is raised (as one often does), two reactions spring to mind. The first is “Why bother, they’re the experts?”, and the second is “Arghh that’s all stats isn’t it?”. My response to the first is usually to get on a soap box and preach, but for the sake of space on this poster we’ll leave it as “because we need to”. My reply to the second is “no it isn’t”. The following is a light hearted depiction of ways information can be generated and reported to present a drug in a more favourable light, and whilst it may be considered slightly extreme, these are all ploys that I have seen. Unfortunately space precludes the provision of specific examples, but trust me, they do exist. Some Top Tips for Critical Evaluation (from my experience) Define the question – e.g. What is it wanted for locally? Sounds obvious but it can prevent a lot of unnecessary work. Engage with the clinical experts. Literature search - Be careful of existing drug reviews, they don’t always critically appraise the quality of the evidence. Look for letters from experts in the field commenting on published papers. It offers an expert clinical insight which we do not always possess Reviewing the information - Read with open mind. If you don’t understand the stats, don’t get bogged down, it is more important to determine clinical significance. Make your review a ‘real world’ translation of the trial results, i.e. what will it mean both to the patient and the local healthcare economy. Remember when you have evaluated the data, you are the expert on the evidence base. Don’t assume that this is the same for clinical experts.

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