ASKING A FOCUSED QUESTION

Analyze your question or topic, and decide which variables need to be included in your clinical question and MEDLINE search strategy.

Break your topic into important elements:

• Define the patient population or problem
  Ask yourself these questions:
  How would I describe a group of patients similar to mine?
  Which patient characteristics -- age, gender, etc. -- may be important?

• Identify the intervention (therapy, test) being considered
  The intervention could be a cause, prognostic factor, or a treatment option.

• Define the comparison intervention (if any)
  A comparison intervention is not always necessary. Ask yourself, What is the main alternative compared with the intervention? Be specific.

• Define the desired outcome
  Ask these questions:
  What can I hope to accomplish?
  What could this exposure really affect?