Evidence Based Practice: Ask

Ask an answerable clinical question

According to the Centre for Evidence Based Medicine (CEBM), well-formed clinical questions are essential in practicing EBM. "To benefit patients and clinicians, such questions need to be both directly relevant to patients' problems and phrased in ways that direct your search to relevant and precise answers." - CEBM, University of Oxford, Asking Focused Questions

Define the question to be answered using the PICO model.

The PICO model:

Ask a clinical question using PICO model,

P = Patient / Population / Problem

I = Intervention / Indicator / Exposure

C = Comparison / Control

O = Outcome

(T/M/S = Type of Study / Time element / Methodology / Setting) Optional

The PICO model allows you to formulate an answerable question.

EHSL Worksheets:

Tutorials on PICO:

Ask (Wisely) and You Shall Receive: How to Formulate Clinical Questions

- UHealth Accelerate Learing Community

There are several types of research questions which lend themselves to types of studies.

• Etiology / Harm: identifying associations, risk factors and causes of a disease
• Diagnosis: selecting tests that accurately detect a disease
• Therapy / Prevention: selecting effective interventions to treat or prevent a disease
• Prognosis: predicting the probable outcome of a disease or treatment

Pyramid of Evidence

The pyramid of evidence illustrates the hierarchy of literature and evidence.

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