Types of Clinical Question

There are several different types of clinical question. If your question does not fit one of them, it may need to be re-focused.

Questions About Clinical Evidence

• How to interpret signs and symptoms
• How to gather clinical findings
• How to interpret clinical findings

Questions About Diagnosis

• How to select diagnostic tests
• How to interpret the results

Questions About Prevention

• How to prevent or reduce the risks associated with a particular condition

Questions About Therapy

• Treatment questions are the most common category
• The most common of all are about the selection and dosage of medications
• How to select treatments that do more good than harm
• How to select the best treatment among several options

Questions About Harm

• How to prevent harmful effects of therapy

Questions About Prognosis

• How to anticipate the patient's likely course
• How to screen for and reduce the risk of disease

Questions About Education

• How to teach yourself and your patients
• Concept from a textbook of Evidence Based Medicine

Additional Resources

University of Alberta – Evidence-Based Medicine Toolkit

McMaster University – Health Information Research Unit

Oxford University – Evidence-based Medicine Working Group