Evidence-Based Clinical Practice: Accessing Information and Study Designs

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering evidence-based practice steps, PICO question construction, literature search protocols, PRISMA reporting standards, and epidemiology study designs.

Five A's of Evidence-Based Practice

The sequential five-step cycle for clinical practice comprising: Ask a question, Access the information, Appraise the articles found, Apply the information, and Audit.

PICO Framework

A structured format used to build clinical questions: P (Patient, problem, population or person), I (Intervention, diagnostic test or prognostic factor/issue), C (Comparison), and O (Outcome(s)).

Search Planner

A tool adapted from the unit textbook used to structure database queries by mapping PICO elements, alternative words or phrases (synonyms, plurals, variations), boolean operators, and inclusion/exclusion criteria.

PRISMA Flow Diagram

A four-phase reporting flow diagram (Identification, Screening, Eligibility, and Included) detailing the progression of records through a systematic review and documenting specific reasons for paper exclusions.

Experimental Study

A research design where the investigator actively intervenes and controls the exposure given to participants; considered the strongest design, though utilized less frequently due to ethical constraints, costs, and resources.

Observational Study

A study design where researchers measure and observe comparisons of interest as exposures or events occur naturally, without intervening or manipulating exposures.

Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT)

An experimental study design where participants from a defined population are randomly allocated into two or more groups (e.g., intervention group vs. control group) to measure and compare clinical outcomes.

n-of-1 Randomised Trial

A subgroup of a randomised controlled trial conducted on a single participant, where multiple treatment time periods are randomised to test interventions over time, particularly for chronic or stable conditions.

Cohort Study

An observational, longitudinal study following a group of participants with specific characteristics over time (exposure to outcome) to investigate risks, aetiology, prognosis, or diagnosis.

Case-Control Study

An observational study where participants who have already experienced an outcome (e.g., developing a disease) are matched with similar participants without the outcome to retrospectively analyse differences in risk factors.

Cross-Sectional Study

An observational study that samples a population at a single point in time to assess frequency, evaluate associations between risk factors and outcomes, or compare a candidate diagnostic test against a gold standard.

Case Series

A descriptive study detailing a group of patients exposed to a specific factor or intervention; typically hypothesis-generating rather than providing definitive evidence.

Qualitative Study

An observational study method using interviews, focus groups, or participant observation to investigate the feelings, attitudes, and reasons behind human behaviors.

Internal Validity

The extent to which an experiment demonstrates the true, undistorted effect of an intervention under ideal, controlled conditions, achieved via random assignment which removes baseline confounding in RCTs.

External Validity

The degree to which study findings reflect and generalize to broader, real-world clinical populations and settings; often considered a key strength of observational designs.

Post-Randomisation Bias

Bias introduced into a randomised controlled trial after allocation has taken place, commonly caused by participant non-compliance or loss to follow-up (drop-outs).