ASKING A FOCUSED QUESTION:

ETIOLOGY QUESTIONS

Etiology problems -- also called CAUSATION or HARM questions -- are questions about the relationship between a disease and a possible cause.

EXAMPLE

For example, how does a diet rich in saturated fats increase the risk of heart disease, and if so, by how much?

In prognosis questions, these issues arise:
  1. Are the results of the study valid?
  2. Was follow-up sufficiently long and complete?
  3. Were objective and unbiased outcome criteria used?
  4. How precise are the estimates of likelihood? Confidence intervals?
  5. Will the results help me in caring for my patients?