Letting the CAT out of the bag: Contribution of critically appraised topics to evidence-based practice

Locating the best available research, critically appraising it and synthesizing the findings with evidence from practice and the wishes of the service user and/or their advocate(s) is central to providing high-quality services to people with communication impairments. Determining whether research evidence is high quality, recent, and relevant is a particular challenge for practitioners. Knowledge translation strategies such as providing critical appraisals of research and advice on how to apply the findings provide useful support to the decision-making process. There are a number of formats that provide critical appraisals of research, the most familiar being systematic reviews, critically appraised papers, and rapid reviews. A critically appraised topic (CAT) is one form of rapid review that can be particularly useful for informing practice in a rich and nuanced manner. We will discuss the features of CATs along with similarities and differences to systematic reviews, critically appraised papers, and other types of rapid reviews. Additionally, we will provide guidance on how to conduct a CAT, present the information, and use it to support high-quality communication assessment and intervention practice.