The Bottom Line
- Most “bad answers” start with a bad question. Fix the question first.
- Use PICO to force specificity: Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcome.
- Write the query twice: (1) human plain-English, (2) search-engine syntax (keywords, synonyms, field tags).
- Your goal is not “more information” — it is a decision-grade answer you can justify.
Why clinicians waste time searching
Clinicians tend to search when they are already time-poor. Under pressure, we ask vague questions (“what’s best?”, “how do I manage…?”) and then get vague results. The fix is a repeatable question format: you spend 60 seconds tightening the question to save 30 minutes of scrolling.
PICO is the default; use variants when needed
PICO works for most therapy/management questions. If you are searching experiences/qualitative work, swap to a qualitative frame (e.g., PEO: Population–Exposure–Outcome). The point is the same: define the question boundaries clearly.
A high-signal question checklist
1
2
3
4
5
6
SourceOxford CEBM: Asking focused questions (PICO and variants)
Open Link SourceOxford CEBM: OCEBM Levels of Evidence (background/explanation)
Open Link