# How to critically appraise an RCT

Use a structured paper appraisal to examine what a trial actually establishes.

Canonical URL: https://attendme.ai/guides/appraise-an-rct

Availability: live. Content review: editorial; Automated source and product-fact consistency checks; 2026-10-14.

## Identify the study

Confirm title, identifier, design and whether the source is an abstract or full text.

## Inspect the comparison

Record the population, intervention, comparator and outcomes. Check how participants were allocated and followed.

## Assess the limits

Review missing data, deviations from the intended intervention and whether the reported outcomes match the study question.

## Bring it back to practice

Distinguish a study result from a recommendation. Check whether the setting and population match the question you need to answer.

## A worked workflow example

Use the TEAM trial, PMID 36286256, as a paper to inspect. This walkthrough shows how to start its appraisal and assess the output. It supplies no trial result or completed risk-of-bias judgment.

### Your input

Search for 'Early Active Mobilization during Mechanical Ventilation in the ICU'. Ask: 'Does this trial address our research question about early mobilisation in mechanically ventilated adults?' Record PMID 36286256 to check the paper's identity. This example supplies no trial finding.

### In AttendMe

Open Library, select Discover and choose Critical Care. Enter the paper title in the search field. Verify the identifier, then select Add to library. Return to My Library and select Analyze on the saved paper. Use View analysis when an appraisal already exists.

### What you inspect

The appraisal is designed to show Bottom line, Key numbers, an Appraisal section with the relevant tool, and Applicability. Check source access before assessing allocation, missing observations, outcomes and follow-up. A method omitted from an abstract remains unestablished; the appraisal cannot supply it.

### Your reviewed result

Example appraisal note: 'Paper: PMID 36286256. Access: abstract or full text, as available. Population: verify from source. Missing method: record the passage needed. Applicability: separate my interpretation.' Preserve those checks in the paper-appraisal worksheet. This is a review structure, not a completed risk-of-bias judgment.

## Before you reuse the result

Use this final check to decide whether the work is ready to discuss, save or continue. A useful output preserves its evidence, its scope and the questions it could not answer.

- The saved card has the intended title and PMID.

- The source-access level is explicit before you assess the methods.

- Key numbers retain their outcome, denominator and follow-up period.

- Your applicability note stays separate from the reported findings.

## Sources

- [Illustrative paper identity: TEAM trial, PubMed 36286256](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36286256/)

Continue: https://attendme.ai/auth/signup?intent=paper-appraisal