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Formulating a Question


Formulating a Question

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​1.
Formulate question - briefly describe the key aspects of your search topic

2. Break down your topic into key concepts to formulate a clear clinical question - introducing PICO which can lead to a more focused search strategy
P
Patient/Problem/Population
Describe your patient and their problem
I
Intervention
Describe the main intervention, exposure, test or prognostic factor under consideration
C
Comparison
In the case of treatment, describe a comparative intervention (although a comparison is not always needed)
O
Outcomes
Describe what you hope to achieve, measure or affect.
3. For example, a doctor assesses a patient with depression. The doctor decides to prescribe antidepressant medication but the patient is worried about side-effects. The doctor has heard that CBT has been used to treat depression and carries out a search of the medical literature using the PICO strategy. 
P
Patient/Problem/Population
In a patient with depression
I
Intervention
is CBT/cognitive behaviour therapy
C
Comparison
compared with fluoxetine/prozac
O
Outcomes
better at improving depressive symptoms
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4. Define any limiting factors e.g. publication date, age group, English language​
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