ClinQuiry — Clinical Research, Taught in Sequence

Core summary

This is your Level 2 capstone. You will take a clinical scenario, identify the research gap, structure a question using PICO or PECO, evaluate it with FINER, assess its feasibility, and outline a preliminary literature search strategy. This exercise integrates everything from Levels 1 and 2.

Detailed explanation

The Research Question Design Workflow — your complete checklist: Step 1: Start with a clinical observation or frustration. What have you seen in your practice that made you think 'there has to be a better way' or 'I wonder if this actually works'? Step 2: Identify the knowledge gap. What is unknown? What do you wish you knew? Frame it as an uncertainty. Step 3: Classify the question type. Is this about an intervention (use PICO) or an exposure/association (use PECO)? What clinical category — therapeutic, diagnostic, prognostic, or etiological? Step 4: Structure with PICO/PECO. Fill in every element with maximum specificity. Add T and S (PICOTS) if the time horizon and setting matter. Step 5: Evaluate with FINER. Score each criterion: Feasible, Interesting, Novel, Ethical, Relevant. If any scores low, refine. Step 6: Feasibility traffic light. Rate Patients, Resources, Time, Expertise, and Scope. Address any Red or Yellow dimensions. Step 7: Preliminary literature search. Translate PICO into search terms, scan PubMed, check for existing systematic reviews. Step 8: Refine and finalize. Based on your literature search, adjust the question. Confirm it passes all checks. This workflow is not linear — expect to loop back to earlier steps as you learn more. The best research questions emerge through multiple iterations.

Clinical example

Capstone walkthrough: A resident notices that diabetic patients who use continuous glucose monitors (CGM) seem to have better HbA1c control, but insurance coverage is inconsistent. Observation → Gap: Does CGM actually improve outcomes enough to justify universal coverage? → PICO: In adults with type 2 diabetes on insulin therapy (P), does CGM use (I) vs fingerstick monitoring (C) reduce HbA1c by at least 0.5% (O) at 6 months (T)? → FINER: F=Yellow (needs CGM devices), I=High, N=Medium (some studies exist but not in T2DM specifically), E=High, R=Very high → Feasibility: Patients=Green, Resources=Yellow, Time=Green, Expertise=Green, Scope=Green → PubMed search reveals several T1DM studies but fewer T2DM studies → Novel angle confirmed.

Research example

This capstone exercise mirrors the real-world research development process described in Designing Clinical Research by Hulley et al. (2013) — the gold standard textbook for clinical research methodology that guides this entire Level 2 curriculum.

Knowledge check

Q1. The correct ORDER of the research question design workflow is:

Q2. If your literature search reveals that your exact question was answered by weak observational studies but no RCTs exist, you should:

Q3. The research question design workflow is strictly linear — once you complete a step, you should never go back to it.