Not quite right. This clinical question is too generic. It does not state the underlying disease, nor does it specify the type or extent of anticoagulation.

FORMULATING YOUR QUESTION

Let's look at an example that comes from an actual patient case...

EXAMPLE:

Mrs. Johnson is a 78 year-old woman admitted with new onset atrial fibrillation. Patients with afib often are treated with warfarin to prevent embolic stroke. But, Mrs. Johnson is elderly and unstable on her feet. You are worried about her falling while anticoagulated, causing a CNS bleed.

What is the clinical question?
(Roll your mouse over the green question mark above the option you would choose.)

Option A
Option B
Option C
Would a female patient over age 65 still benefit from anticoagulation even if she were at risk for falls?
 		Should patients at risk for falls be anticoagulated? Among female patients over age 65 with unstable gait and atrial fibrillation, would anticoagulation with warfarin, when compared with no anticoagulation, lead to lower mortality and morbidity from stroke? Does the benefit exceed the increased risk of CNS bleeding associated with a fall?


In many cases, this level of detail about the patient may need to be specified in order to retrieve the most relevant literature. Remember, however, that literature searching is a step-by-step building process.
It may not be necessary to include in your search strategy every single one of the elements that are identified above.
Decide which are most important, then search for them first.
Take a look at the literature, then decide if more search variables are required to better match your patient or question.
Add secondary elements to your search as separate steps as you go through the search process.

Not quite right. This clinical question is too generic. It doesn't identify key variables of your topic such as the patient population nor the type or extent of anticoagulation.


Right! This question is specific and clear. It identifies the patient population, the risk, and the treatment.