Week 2: Components Of Research Reports And PICO

Question 1

What are the components of a published research report?

Answer 1

• Title
• Abstract
• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Discussions
• References

Question 2

What does the Title tell you?

Answer 2

• Gives a good indication of how relevant the article is

- Good description of what the research is about

Question 3

What is the Abstract?

Answer 3

• A summary of the report
• Usually includes:
- background
- research Q or aims
- findings
- conclusions
• used to see if the report might answer your question.

Question 4

What is the Introduction

Answer 4

• Literature review
• What the study aims to do
• Why is the study needed
• Identifies what the researcher is specifically asking/predicting.

Question 5

What is the Method?

Answer 5

• Indicates research design (qual/quantitative)
• Sample selection from population group
• Procedures and data collection methods
• Data analysis.

Question 6

What is a Quantitative Design?

Answer 6

• Hypothesis
• Control/control group
• Survey
• Random/convenience sample
• Variables measured by tools
• Reliability/Validity of tools
• Numbers/statistical analysis
• Objectivity

Question 7

What is Qualitative Design?

Answer 7

• No numbers
• Focus on subjective info
• No control of phenomenon
• Focus on understanding complexity of people within context of their lives
• Naturally occurring conditions

Question 8

What is Results?

Answer 8

• Data and data analysis 
• Themes
• Descriptive results
• Significance 
• Tables and figures
- Quantitative = statistical procedures
- Qualitative = summary of themes

Question 9

What is Discussion?

Answer 9

• A summary of key findings
• Comparisons of these findings with previous findings
• Speculation about the reasons for the results on the study
• Implications for practice

Question 10

What is in the Conclusion?

Answer 10

• New knowledge derived from the study
• Consistency or otherwise of findings with previous knowledge
• Limitations (design, sample, measures, procedures)
• Recommendations (Practice, education, research)

Question 11

PICOT (Patient/population of interest)

Answer 11

• Age group
• Gender
• Population
• Health concern

Question 12

PICOT (Intervention/exposure)

Answer 12

• Therapeutic, diagnostic, preventive or other health care interventions you’re interested in knowing more about
• What healthcare management strategies are you interested in comparing

Question 13

PICOT (Comparison of interest)

Answer 13

• Is there a comparison to be evaluated against the intervention?
• Only used if more than one intervention or if no intervention is a factor

Question 14

PICOT (Outcome of interest)

Answer 14

• What is the desired outcome to be evaluated

- How will the patient of population be affected, or not affected, but the intervention

Question 15

PICOT (Time)

Answer 15

• What timeframe do you expect to see the outcome

Question 16

Define Therapy/treatment questions in PICOT

Answer 16

Evidence supports how to select treatments to offer your patients that do more good than harm and that are worth the efforts and costs of using them

Question 17

Define Diagnostic questions PICOT

Answer 17

Evidence supports how to select and interpret diagnostic tests, in order to conform or exclude a diagnosis, based on considering their precision, accuracy, acceptability, expense, safety ect..

Question 18

Define Prognosis questions PICOT

Answer 18

Evidence supports how to estimate your patients likely clinical course over time and anticipate likely complications of the disorder.

Question 19

Define Harm/aetiology questions PICOT

Answer 19

Evidence supports how to identify causes for disease (including its iatrogenic forms).

Question 20

Strength of study design, the evidence pyramid:

Answer 20

1st: -Systematic reviews and Meta- analyses
- Randomised controlled double blind studies
- Cohort studies
- Case control studies
- Case series
- Case reports
- Ideas, editorials, opinions
- Animal research
- In vitro (‘test tube’) research