Knowledge Translation: Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) for Enhancing OT Outcomes through Evidence-Based Practice

The Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) papers result from work completed by occupational therapy doctoral students in their Evidence-Based Practice course. The CAT process involves defining an occupational therapy practice question or issue by developing a PICO question, conducting a comprehensive search for evidence, and critically appraising the selected studies. The next step is synthesizing critical findings from the studies and discussing the implications of the findings for occupational therapy practice. CATs are intended to make research more accessible to occupational therapists, where evidence-based decision-making is essential for improving patient outcomes.

ACOTE Standard B.6.3 Create scholarly reports appropriate for presentation or for publication in a peer-reviewed journal that support skills of clinical practice. The reports must be made available to professional or public audiences.