A Good Question
- Focuses your information needs
- Identifies key seach concepts
- Points you in the direction of potential resources
Background Questions
These questions are general in nature and provide foundational information on a single concept, textbooks can best answer these types of questions. Background questions cover:
- Terminology
- General Pathology
- Patient Education Resources
- General Drug Information
- Examination/Assessment Procedures
Examples
What is the pathology of asthma?
What drugs are used to treat hypertension?
How do I perform a psychological assessment?
What education resources exist for patients with gestational diabetes?
How is hepititis B diagnosed?
What does a normal heartbeat sound like?
Foreground Questions
These questions bring together multiple concepts related to a specific clinical situation or research topic and are best answered using a relevant database. They are typically divided into two categories:
- Qualitative Questions aim to discover meaning or gain an understanding of a phenomena. They ask about an individual's or population's experience of certain situations or circumstances
- Quantitative Questions aim to discover cause and effect relationships by comparing two or more individuals or groups based on differing outcomes associated with exposures or interventions.
Forming Foreground Questions
Building an effective foreground question can be challenging. The following models will help:
Qualitative Questions: The PS Model
P - Patient/Population
S- Situation
How do/does ___[P]____ experience _____[S]_____?
What is the experience of ____[P]___[S]____?
Ex. How do caregiver-spouses of Alzheimer patients experience placing their spouse in a nursing home?
___________________________________________________________________________
Quantitative Questions: The PICO(T) Model
A quantitative approach can answer many different types of questions, but all can be formatted by following the PICO(T) Model outlined below:
PICO(T) Templates
Therapy
In ___[P]___, do/does ___[I]___ result in ___[O]____ when compared with ___[C]___ over ___[T]____?
E.g.) In nursing home residents with osteoporosis, do hip protectors result in fewer injuries from slips, trips, and falls when compared with standard osteoporosis drug therapy over the course of their stay?
Etiology
Are ___[P]___ with ___[I]___ over ____[T]____ more likely to ___[O]____ when compared with ___[C]___ ?
E.g.) Are female non-smokers with daily exposure to second-hand smoke over a period of ten years or greater more likely to develop breast cancer when compared with female non-smokers without daily exposure to second-hand smoke?
Diagnosis
Is/are ___[I]___ performed on ___[P]___ more effective than ___[C]___ over ___[T]____in ___[O]____?
E.g.) Are self-reporting interviews and parent reports performed on children aged 5-10 more effective than parent reports alone over a four-week consultation process in diagnosing depression?
Prevention
In ___[P]___, do/does ___[I]___ result in ___[O]____ when compared with ___[C]___ over ___[T]____?
E.g.) In emergency room visitors, do hand sanitizing stations result in fewer in-hospital infections when compared with no hand sanitizing stations over a year-long pilot period?
Prognosis
Do/does ___[I]___ performed on ___[P]___ lead to ___[O]___ over ___[T]____compared with ___[C]____?
E.g.) Do regular text message reminders performed on patients recently diagnosed with diabetes lead to a lower occurrence of forgotten insulin doses over the first six months of treatment compared with no reminders?
