LibGuides: Evidence Synthesis: Formulating A Question

Formulating a Question

Establishing a well-defined research question should occur at the beginning of the planning stage. A research question should use an established framework.

Question Frameworks

Population / Problem: who are you screening? Why?
Intervention: what are you evaluating? e.g., a treatment, an intervention, etc.
Comparison: are you comparing this group to another group, e.g. a placebo group?
Outcome: what are the outcomes? Is there a specific one you are looking at?

Qualitative PICo

Population / Problem
Phenomenon of Interest
Context

PICO Variations

PEO: Exposure
PICOT: Timeframe
PICOTS: Timeframe, Setting
PICOS: Study Design, e.g. cohorts or randomized controlled trials.

Adapted from: https://libguides.ucmerced.edu/systematic-reviews/question and PowerPoint slides from Lackey, M. (2013). Systematic reviews: Searching the literature.

PICO Example - CHANGE?

In adults, is screening for depression and feedback of results to providers more effective than no screening and feedback in improving outcomes of major depression in primary care settings?

Population / Problem: adults / depression (major)
Intervention: screening, feedback
Comparison: none
Outcome: no particular outcomes specified

Adapted from: https://libguides.ucmerced.edu/systematic-reviews/question and PowerPoint slides from Lackey, M. (2013). Systematic reviews: Searching the literature.

See UC Merced Library for their PECO Example.

There are many other frameworks for conceptualizing your question:

BeHEMoTh- Behavior of interest, Health context, Exclusions, Models or Theories

Booth, A., & Carroll, C. (2015). Systematic searching for theory to inform systematic reviews: is it feasible? Is it desirable?. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 32(3), 220-235.

ECLIPSE- Expectation/Client group/Location/Impact/Professionals/Service (Evaluating services)

Wildridge, V., & Bell, L. (2002). How CLIP became ECLIPSE: a mnemonic to assist in searching for health policy/management information. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 19(2), 113-115. doi: 10.1046/j.1471-1842.2002.00378.x

FINER- Feasibility, Interesting, Novel, Ethical, Relevant

Cummings, S. R., Browner, W. S., & Hulley, S. B. (1988) Conceiving the research question. In S. B. Hulley, & S. R. Cummings SR (Eds), Designing Clinical Research. (pp. 12 - 17). Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins

SPIDER- Sample/Phenomenon of Interest/Design/Evaluation/Research type (Qualitative studies, especially with samples rather than populations)

Cooke, A., Smith, D., & Booth, A. (2012). Beyond PICO: The SPIDER tool for qualitative evidence synthesis. Qualitative Health Research, 22(10), 1435-1443. doi: 10.1177/1049732312452938

SPICE- Setting/Perspective (or Population)/Intervention/Comparison/Evaluation (Evaluating outcomes of a specific intervention)

Maryse C. Kok, Hermen Ormel, Jacqueline E. W. Broerse, Sumit Kane, Ireen Namakhoma, Lilian Otiso, Moshin Sidat, Aschenaki Z. Kea, Miriam Taegtmeyer, Sally Theobald, Marjolein Dieleman. (2017) Optimising the benefits of community health workers’ unique position between communities and the health sector: A comparative analysis of factors shaping relationships in four countries. Global Public Health 12:11, pages 1404-1432.

Adapted from Monash University Library.

Type of Research Question	Models	Disciplines
Clinical	PICO Variants - PIO, PICOT, PICOS	Health
Quantitative	PICO and variants: PIO, PICOT, PICOS, PIFT	Health, Social Sciences, Business and Policy, Environment, and Ecology
Qualitative	PEO, PICo, CLIP, ECLISPE	Social Sciences and Management
Mixed Methods	PCC, SPICE, SPIDER, FINER	Health and Social Sciences
Theory or Methodology	BeHEMoTH, SDMO	Health