The development and validation of a meta-tool for quality appraisal of public health evidence: Meta Quality Appraisal Tool (MetaQAT)

Critical appraisal tools designed for clinical medicine have limitations for use in the context of public health. The meta-tool structure of the MetaQAT allows for rigorous appraisal, while allowing users to simultaneously appraise the multitude of study designs relevant to public health research and assess non-standard domains, such as applicability.