OEC Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In evidence-based practice, what does the acronym PICO stand for?
- Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome (Correct answer)
- Protocol, Indication, Contraindication, Observation
- Population, Injury, Care, Objective
- Procedure, Implementation, Criteria, Outcome
Correct answer: Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome
PICO is a framework for forming clinical questions: Patient/Problem, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome.
Question 2: Which level of evidence is generally considered the strongest in a hierarchy of evidence?
- Expert opinion and consensus statements
- Randomized controlled trials
- Case reports and case series
- Systematic reviews and meta-analyses (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses pool results from multiple high-quality studies, placing them at the top of most evidence hierarchies.
Question 3: An OEC technician reads that a new splinting technique 'showed statistically significant improvement (p = 0.03).' What does this mean?
- The technique improved outcomes by 3% in all patients
- There is a 3% chance the observed difference occurred by chance alone (Correct answer)
- The study enrolled only 3% of eligible participants
- The result was clinically meaningful in 97% of cases
Correct answer: There is a 3% chance the observed difference occurred by chance alone
A p-value of 0.03 means there is a 3% probability the results occurred by random chance under the null hypothesis.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of a control group in a clinical study?
- To provide a comparison baseline against the experimental intervention (Correct answer)
- To receive the most effective known treatment available
- To increase the total sample size of the study
- To ensure participants are blinded to their group assignment
Correct answer: To provide a comparison baseline against the experimental intervention
A control group receives no intervention or a standard treatment, allowing researchers to compare outcomes against the experimental group.
Question 5: Which type of study design best establishes cause-and-effect relationships between an intervention and an outcome?
- Cross-sectional survey
- Retrospective cohort study
- Randomized controlled trial (Correct answer)
- Case-control study
Correct answer: Randomized controlled trial
Randomized controlled trials randomly assign participants to groups, minimizing confounding and best supporting causal inference.
Question 6: A wilderness first aid study reports a 95% confidence interval of 2–8 minutes for time to effective airway management. What does this interval indicate?
- All participants achieved airway management within 2–8 minutes
- Researchers are 95% confident the true population mean falls between 2 and 8 minutes (Correct answer)
- Only 95% of providers can complete the skill in under 8 minutes
- The study had a 5% error rate in timing measurements
Correct answer: Researchers are 95% confident the true population mean falls between 2 and 8 minutes
A 95% confidence interval means that if the study were repeated many times, 95% of such intervals would contain the true population parameter.
Question 7: When critically appraising a research article on OEC protocols, which question addresses internal validity?
- Can these results be generalized to all ski patrol settings?
- Was the study funded by an organization with a financial interest in the outcome?
- Were participants randomly assigned and were confounding variables controlled? (Correct answer)
- Does the journal have a high impact factor?
Correct answer: Were participants randomly assigned and were confounding variables controlled?
Internal validity concerns whether the study design correctly measured what it intended to, including randomization and control of confounders.
OEC Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice 2
In evidence-based practice, what does the acronym PICO stand for?