Week 2 - Hypothesis & asking a question

Question 1

What is a clinical question and how do you frame it?

Answer 1

• The question arises from a clinical situation
• Used as basis to search literature
• PICO (T)
  P: patient,
  I: intervention,
  C: comparison,
  O: outcome
  T: time

Example:
How do pregnant women (P) newly diagnosed with diabetes (I) perceive reporting their blood sugar levels (O) to their healthcare providers during their pregnancy and six weeks postpartum (T)?

Question 2

How to pose a clear and concise research question

Answer 2

• A concise, interrogative statement written in the present tense and including one or more variables/concepts

Research questions focus on:
- Describing variables.
- Specifying the population being studied.
- Examining testable relationships among variables.

• The variables under consideration are clearly identified.
• The population being investigated is specified.
• The possibility of empirical testing is implied

Question 3

What are variables?

Answer 3

Is any characteristics, number, or quantity that can be measured or counted.
- may also be called a data item: Age, sex, socio-economic class, country of birth, capital expenditure, class grades, eye colour, height, weight are examples of variables.
* A variable is an attribute or property in which organisms vary (people, events, objects).

Question 4

Variables: The X and Y factors or independent and dependent variables

Answer 4

The independent variable (X) has presumed (hypothesised) effect on the dependent variable (Y)

The independent variable (X):
* Stands “alone” and is not changed by the other variables; it is independent
* In experimental research: manipulated by the researcher
* In non-experimental (eg observational research): observed by the researcher in relation to its effect on the dependent variable (it is assumed to have occurred naturally)

The dependent variable (Y):
* Being measured/ observed/ tested in an experiment: outcome
* It is assumed to be impacted on by the independent variable: it is “dependent” on other variables

Question 5

The population

Answer 5

• A well-defined “set” that has certain properties
• Needs to be specified in the research question

Question 6

The outcome

Answer 6

• What is it that you are interested in? What is the “endpoint” of your research?

Examples:
- Does vitamin C intake prevent influenza in older people?
-> Outcome: Reduce Mortality rates
- Did the “back to back” campaign improve SIDS rates in newborn infants?
->Outcome: Reduce Mortality rates
- Does eating spinach give you bigger muscles?
-> Outcome: Strength

Question 7

Testability

Answer 7

Can be measured/ tested by quantitative methods

Question 8

Study purpose and statement

Answer 8

• The “problem” statement
• What do we know? What is the gap? Why does it matter?
• Importance to link to existing evidence (→ literature review)
  o Start with a question
  o Do we know any of this info already?
  o PICO
  o Keywords (strategies)
  o Databasis

Question 9

Hypothesis

Answer 9

Formal a priori statement of the expected relationship(s) between two or more variables in a specified population that suggests an answer to the research question, statement that predicts the outcomes of a study
- Variables to be tested
- Population to be studied
- Design to be used
- Outcomes predicted

Question 10

Relationship statement

Answer 10

• Simple: Relationship between two variables.
• Complex: Relationship between three or more variables.
• Research hypothesis:
  -> Directional: States which way the relationship should exist.
  -> Nondirectional: States that the relationship exists, but not the direction.
  -> Statistical hypothesis: Null hypothesis – No effect / relationship.