Introducing ARCHE
ARCHE is a user-friendly mobile and web application designed to support medical students and healthcare professionals in critically appraising biomedical research articles. Developed by Dr Manjunath J (Dept. of Nephrology) and Dr Archana Bhat (Dept. of Pathology) from Father Muller Medical College in Mangalore, ARCHE aims to make evidence-based appraisal easier and more structured.
Our Role in Evidence-Based Medicine
In evidence-based medicine (EBM), practitioners integrate the best available evidence with clinical expertise and patient values; the “Appraise” step of this process involves critically evaluating the integrity, reliability, and applicability of research findings. ARCHE’s mission is to simplify this critical step by providing clear, step-by-step guidance.
What ARCHE Offers
ARCHE includes structured checklists for different study designs, helping users systematically evaluate each paper’s validity and relevance. ARCHE guides users with built-in appraisal worksheets that prompt key questions for each study. These worksheets reflect established evidence-based practices: as the Oxford Centre for EBM notes, critical appraisal tools help users “appraise the reliability, importance and applicability of clinical evidence.”
By following ARCHE’s guided checklists for various study types (such as therapy trials, diagnostic studies, cohort and case-control studies, qualitative research, and more), users can gain confidence in assessing research quality and drawing valid conclusions.
Our Approach
ARCHE’s interface and language are warm and approachable, aiming to reduce intimidation when learning critical appraisal. At the same time, the content remains grounded in professional EBM standards. We believe that by providing a structured yet user-friendly tool, we empower future doctors and researchers to analyze studies confidently and make well-informed, evidence-based decisions in patient care.
Our Team
ARCHE was developed by a collaborative team of experts and enthusiasts:
- Dr. Manjunath J - Department of Nephrology, Father Muller Medical College (FMMC), Mangalore, India. Lead developer and content expert in clinical research appraisal.
- Aditya M - Student, Sharada Vidyalaya. Contributed to technical development and user interface design.
- Dr. Archana Bhat - Department of Pathology, Father Muller Medical College (FMMC), Mangalore, India. Lead content expert and provided expertise in evidence-based medicine.