OEC Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice 2

Question 1

In evidence-based practice, what does the acronym PICO stand for?

Accepted Answer

Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

There is a 3% chance the observed difference occurred by chance alone

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

To provide a comparison baseline against the experimental intervention

Answer

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?

Accepted Answer

Randomized controlled trial

Answer

Randomized controlled trials randomly assign participants to groups, minimizing confounding and best supporting causal inference.

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