Critically appraised topics (CATs) are evidence syntheses that provide veterinary professionals with information to rapidly address clinical questions and support the practice of evidence-based veterinary medicine (EBVM). They also have an important role to play in both undergraduate and post-registration education of veterinary professionals, in research and knowledge gap identification, literature scoping, preparing research grants and informing policy. CATs are not without limitations, the primary one relating to the rapid approach used which may lead to selection bias or restrict information identified or retrieved. Furthermore, the narrow focus of CATs may limit applicability of the evidence findings beyond a specific clinical scenario, and infrequently updated CATs may become redundant. Despite these limitations, CATs are fundamental to EBVM in the veterinary profession. Using the example of a dog with osteoarthritis, the five steps involved in creating and applying a CAT to clinical practice are outlined, with an emphasis on clinical relevance and practicalities. Finally, potential future developments for CATs and their role in EBVM, and the education of veterinary professionals are discussed. This review is focused on critically appraised topics (CATs) as a form of evidence synthesis in veterinary medicine. It aims to be a primary guide for veterinarians, from students to clinicians, and for veterinary nurses and technicians (hereafter collectively called veterinary professionals). Additionally, this review provides further information for those with some experience of CATs who would like to better understand the historic context and process, including further detail on more advanced concepts. This more detailed information will appear in pop-out boxes with a double-lined surround to distinguish it from the information core to producing and interpreting CATs, and from the boxes with a single line surround which contain additional resources relevant to the different parts of the review.

批判性评价主题 (CAT) 是证据综合，为兽医专业人员提供信息，以快速解决临床问题并支持循证兽医医学 (EBVM) 的实践。他们还在兽医专业人员的本科和注册后教育、研究和知识差距识别、文献范围界定、准备研究资助和通报政策方面发挥着重要作用。 CAT 并非没有限制，主要的限制与所使用的快速方法有关，这可能会导致选择偏差或限制识别或检索的信息。此外，CAT 的关注范围狭窄可能会限制证据发现在特定临床场景之外的适用性，并且不经常更新的 CAT 可能会变得多余。尽管存在这些限制，CAT 仍然是兽医行业 EBVM 的基础。以患有骨关节炎的狗为例，概述了创建 CAT 并将其应用于临床实践所涉及的五个步骤，重点是临床相关性和实用性。最后，讨论了 CAT 的未来潜在发展及其在 EBVM 中的作用，以及兽医专业人员的教育。本综述重点关注批判性评价主题 (CAT)，作为兽医学证据综合的一种形式。它旨在成为兽医（从学生到临床医生）以及兽医护士和技术人员（以下统称为兽医专业人员）的主要指南。此外，这篇评论还为那些具有一定 CAT 经验、希望更好地了解历史背景和流程的人提供了更多信息，包括有关更高级概念的更多详细信息。 这些更详细的信息将出现在带有双线环绕的弹出框中，以将其与生成和解释 CAT 的信息核心区分开来，并与带有单线环绕的框区分开来，后者包含与 CAT 的不同部分相关的附加资源。审查。