1 of 32

Asking the Research Question

Adam Kirton MD MSc FRCPC

Professor, Pediatrics and Clinical Neurosciences

Deputy Head (Research), Department of Pediatrics

​

​

Resident / Fellows Research Course

2024.10.21

2 of 32

Objectives

  • Develop an approach to asking good research questions
  • Refine YOUR research question
  • Learn the FINER and PICOT methods
  • Run through a translational clinical trial example

3 of 32

4 of 32

Research

  • One Definition

​

Asking a question to which there is no known answer and devising the means by which to answer it.

5 of 32

Origins of the research question….

  • Inspiration!
  • Creative genius!
  • Epiphany!

​

​

6 of 32

Preparation > Inspiration�Ignorance is not bliss

  • Knowledge
    • Literature
    • Colleagues
    • Competitors
    • Research methods

​

​

​

7 of 32

  • Experience
    • Clinical
    • Teaching
    • Meetings

​

  • Mentorship

​

​

​

​

8 of 32

  • Cautious skepticism

​

​

  • Modern technologies

​

​

  • Cross pollination

9 of 32

Ask FINER questions

  • Feasible
  • Interesting
  • Novel
  • Ethical
  • Relevant

​

​

  • Focused
  • Simple
  • Comprehensible
  • Directive
  • Leading

​

10 of 32

Feasibility?�

  • Number of subjects
  • Technical expertise
  • Scope
  • Time
  • Money

​

​

FINER questions

11 of 32

Ask FINER questions

  • Feasible
  • Interesting
  • Novel
  • Ethical
  • Relevant

​

​

12 of 32

Assessing FINER criteria

13 of 32

PICOT

96% of >300 studies published in top journal failed to report PICOT criteria

14 of 32

Better framing of the research question associated with better overall reporting quality

15 of 32

Aim / Hypothesis?

​

  • Aim

What do you really want to do?

​

  • Hypothesis

“A proposed explanation for an observable phenomenon”

​

What question do you really want answered?

​

16 of 32

17 of 32

Aims and Hypotheses

18 of 32

19 of 32

TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH

BASIC SCIENCE

APPLIED / CLINICAL

POPULATION

T1

T2

20 of 32

Test your question: www.equator-network.org

21 of 32

Precision medicine

Personalized medicine

22 of 32

23 of 32

24 of 32

RESEARCH QUESTIONS�

  • Is factor V Leiden a risk factor for arterial perinatal stroke?

​

  • Are prothrombotic disorders associated with perinatal stroke?

​

  • Do children with a history of perinatal stroke need a thrombophilia work-up?

​

25 of 32

Population-based, prospective, case-control, n=205

FVL

26 of 32

27 of 32

28 of 32

Grab et al, unpublished

29 of 32

30 of 32

31 of 32

  • Define area of interest
  • Prepare
  • Formulate the question
  • Write a one page proposal
  • Garner feedback
  • Test and troubleshoot
  • Refine

​

​

​

32 of 32

adam.kirton@ahs.ca