Research Question Design

The purpose of this evidence-informed decision making tool is to:

• Develop a clear, answerable question that can be used to generate a search strategy
• Identify key search terms to facilitate a more efficient search
• Document search strategies/terms for future search updates, either in the same or similar topics

SPICE can be used to evaluate the outcomes of a service, project, or intervention.

ECLIPSE is useful for investigating the outcomes of a policy or service. E=expectation, C= client group, L= location, I= impact, P= professionals, sE= service.

The SPIDER tool is designed to structure qualitative research questions, focusing less on interventions and more on study design, and “samples” rather than populations.

The PICO structure is most commonly used in the health professions to research prognoses, diagnoses and therapies. It is mostly used to compare one intervention with another.

PICOT is a mnemonic derived from the elements of a clinical research question – patient, intervention, comparison, outcome and (sometimes) time. The PICOT process begins with a case scenario, and the question is phrased to elicit an answer.