|
Steps to Formulating
of answerable questions
Process:
| The
Patient |
:
- |
Start with the
patient: a clinical problem/ question arise out of the care
of the patient. |
| |
|
|
| The
Question |
:
- |
Construct a well-built
question derived from the case. |
"EBM always
begins and ends with the patient."
As medical practitioners,
we often encounter many uncertainties in our daily practice, and for this,
it is important for us to recognize our inadequacies so we can improve
our service to the patients. However, understandably, our busy schedule
often hinders us form updating ourselves by cross-checking our knowledge
with current research. Hence, this is one of the reasons for identifying
questions.
The second reason
of identifying questions is that once we formulate the specific questions,
we may obtain the answers with remarkable efficiency because a well-formed
question will help to limit our search to the very relevant published
studies that would provide a quick and useful answer to our question.
However, this is a skill that one needs to attain by practice.
Content:
It would be helpful
to use the synonym of P-I-C-O.
The four components
of a typical EBM clinical question are:
| P |
The patient and/or
problem of interest |
| I |
The main intervention
(a treatment, a diagnostic test, a prognostic factor, etc) |
| C |
Comparison intervention(s),
if relevant |
| O |
The clinical
outcome(s) of interest |
By formulating the
question clearly, we can better focus our scarce learning time on evidence
that is directly relevant to our patients' clinical needs, our own knowledge
needs, and streamline our search strategies.
|
