Uncertainty regarding an issue that may be contested, investigated, and evaluated to produce informative data is a researchable question. A research project’s success depends on how well the research topic is formulated in light of the challenges encountered in daily clinical practice and research operations. If a case is relevant, researchable, and significant, it is crucial to consider the underlying issues of the study effort. Extreme specificity and precision are necessary for a well-formulated research topic, which also directs project implementation while keeping in mind the discovery of variables and the population of interest. The term foreground questions refer to patient-focused inquiries that involve interpreting a therapy or illness and weighing risk versus benefit for an individual patient or a group of patients. Primary or pre-assessed research in the literature is the most effective means of addressing these kinds of complex clinical concerns.
Breaking any question into four parts will make it easier to find pertinent data according to the PICOT format, which “resumes the key points of clinical trials” and is a frequently used method for defining a primary research issue (Lira & Rocha, 2019, p. 3). The PICOT format is “used to frame research questions” (Abbade et al., 2017, p. 893). Addressing a particular people, its crucial traits, and demographic data is referred to as population or problem. Treatments, procedures, diagnostic tests, risk factors, and prognosis indicators can all be included in an intervention or treatment of interest. In this instance, the strategy to treat the patient is called an intervention, which may involve a new therapy, a diagnostic test, a prognosis indicator, or a procedure. When a novel therapy is contrasted with an established one, it is referred to as a comparator or control.
A physician needs to be familiar with background and foreground inquiries in a specific clinical context based on their knowledge of a particular condition and treatment. More complex issues are addressed once background questions have been handled. The primary problems in clinical work lead to clinical questions, which are “essential to quality improvement, healthcare outcomes, and development” (McClinton, 2022, p. 2). Some examples are identifying causes or risk factors, evaluating diagnostic tests based on accuracy and precision, choosing the best course of treatment, and determining the treatment results. The way a crucial question is stated may make it seem uninteresting, and the “format sets the stage for a successful search for relevant evidence” (Bell, 2021, p. 266).
In conclusion, an excellent research study and evidence-based clinical treatment begin by asking a well-crafted research question. The methodology provided in this paper can be helpful for both researchers and clinicians in formulating questions and designing new research projects. The traditional method is to develop a research question, then conduct a thorough literature review while keeping the PICOT criteria in mind. A suitable study design and approach will result from a specified research question. A successful project will be finished if the research issue is discussed with competent peers, the department chair, the mentor, and the biostatistician from the beginning.
References
Abbade, L. P., Wang, M., Sriganesh, K., Jin, Y., Mbuagbaw, L., & Thabane, L. (2017). The framing of research questions using the PICOT format in randomized controlled trials of venous ulcer disease is suboptimal: a systematic survey.Wound Repair and Regeneration, 25(5), 892-900.
Bell, S. G., & O’Donovan, P. (2021). Steps 1 and 2: Asking a Compelling Clinical Question and Searching for the Best Evidence. Neonatal Network, 40(4), 262-266. 10.1891/11-T-717
Lira, R. P. C., & Rocha, E. M. (2019). PICOT: Imprescriptible items in a clinical research question. Arquivos Brasileiros de Oftalmologia, 82(1).
McClinton, T. D. (2022). A guided search: Formulating a PICOT from assigned areas of inquiry. Worldviews on Evidence‐Based Nursing.