Type of Question

 

 

Back to the Evidence Based Nursing Page   |   Background Questions  | PDF Handout
 

ANSWERING CLINICAL QUESTIONS IN REAL TIME for NURSING
A Quick Guide to navigating Library resources by TIME and TYPE OF QUESTION for Foreground Questions.

General Tips for Searching Foreground Questions
As you gain experience in searching background questions and using clinical tools to find quick answers, you’ll begin asking more complex clinical questions or foreground questions. Format foreground questions using “PICO.”

 Asking Clinical Questions
 

-          Use your critical thinking skills, reflect on the situation

-          Use PICO to formulate your question

-          Use PICO components to drive your search strategy

-          Determine type of evidence needed to find the answer

-          Identify the outcomes you can use

 

Answering Clinical Questions using PICO
 Use this PICO Worksheet

P  =  patient, problem, population

I   =  intervention (nursing intervention, tx, drug)

C  =  comparison of interventions (gold standard or benchmark)

O  =  outcomes (for the patient, society, economics)

 

Evidence Based Focus Resources by Type & Time available for searching

 

Type

 

Time Available

 

Resources to Use

Filtered, summarized
monographs

When you have only 5-10 minutes to find information:
 

·       Answers clinical questions in a concise, easily accessible format.

·       Organized information for quick browsing.

·       ACP PIER

·       Up To Date

Information Aggregators


When you have only 15-20 minutes to find information:
 

·         Go beyond the basics and scan collected information for relevant content. One-stop access
to a wide variety of material.
 

·         Save time by simultaneously searching textbooks, Medline, Cochrane, National Guidelines Clearinghouse, image resources, drug reference databases, risk calculators or other tools, or other specialized resources.

·       Clin-eguide

·       MDConsult

·       NursingConsult

·       Micromedex

Critically Appraised Information

 When you want to keep up on the literature, but don't have  time to read the whole article:

·         MD or Nursing prepared critical summaries of the evidence.

·       ACP Journal Club

·       Evidence Based Nursing

Journal Article Databases

When you have 20 minutes or more to look for journal citations and full text articles:

·         Indexed databases of journal article citations and abstracts with no critical appraisal

·         Search tools and limits that help you find answers to your clinical questions more quickly.

·       Ebsco CINAHL Plus

·       Mosby’s Nursing Index

·       Ovid Medline

This information is based on a handout by the Health Sciences Library of University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center and is used with permission.