Critical appraisal of clinical guidelines.

Utilization of clinical guidelines is gaining in popularity due to their significant impact on clinical practice. While a plethora of guidelines exist, many are lacking in quality, based on current critical appraisal standards. It then becomes necessary for the end users of the guidelines to adopt or develop those that are deemed adequate for implementation. This often requires that users possess critical appraisal skills as they become proficient in discerning between guidelines of varying quality. This article provides direction and tools to support the critical appraisal process in the adoption of clinical guidelines.