Improving question formulation for use in evidence appraisal in a tertiary care setting: a randomised controlled trial

ISRCTN	ISRCTN66375463
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN66375463
Secondary identifying numbers	N/A

Submission date: 07/11/2001
Registration date: 07/11/2001
Last edited: 07/03/2008

Recruitment status: No longer recruiting
Overall study status: Completed
Condition category: Other

Prospectively registered

Protocol

Statistical analysis plan

Results

Individual participant data

Plain English summary of protocol

Not provided at time of registration

Contact information

Mr Elmer V Villanueva
Scientific

Deputy Director
Health Technology Assessment Centre for Clinical Effectiveness
Monash Institute of Health Services Research
246 Clayton Road
Clayton
Victoria
3168
Australia

Phone	+61 (0)3 9594 7505
Email	Elmer.Villanueva@med.monash.edu.au

Study information

Study design	Randomised controlled trial
Primary study design	Interventional
Secondary study design	Randomised controlled trial
Study setting(s)	Not specified
Study type	Not Specified
Scientific title
Study objectives	The study sought to determine whether adding simple instructions and examples on clinical question formulation would increase the specificity of the question being submitted by the health care professional compared to using a standard form without instructions and examples.
Ethics approval(s)	Not provided at time of registration
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied	Question formulation by health care professionals
Intervention	New participants were invited to reformulate clinical queries. The control group was given no instructions. The intervention group was given a brief explanation of proper formulation, written instructions, and diagrammatic examples.
Intervention type	Other
Primary outcome measure	The change in the proportion of reformulated questions that described each the dimensions of specificity.
Secondary outcome measures	The differences in the degree by which a particular dimension was specified.
Overall study start date	01/07/2000
Completion date	30/06/2001

Eligibility

Participant type(s)	Patient
Age group	Not Specified
Sex	Not Specified
Target number of participants	39
Key inclusion criteria	Health care professionals affiliated with a tertiary care health care network in Melbourne, Australia
Key exclusion criteria	Previous users of the service
Date of first enrolment	01/07/2000
Date of final enrolment	30/06/2001

Locations

Countries of recruitment

Australia

Study participating centre

Deputy Director

Victoria
3168
Australia

Sponsor information

Centre for Clinical Effectiveness (Australia)
Research organisation

Monash Institute of Health Services Research
246 Clayton Road
Clayton
Victoria
3168
Australia

Website	http://www.med.monash.edu.au
"ROR"	https://ror.org/02t1bej08

Funders

Funder type

Not defined

Self-funded through internal research funds

No information available

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share	No
IPD sharing plan summary	Not provided at time of registration
Publication and dissemination plan	Not provided at time of registration
IPD sharing plan

Study outputs

Output type	Details	Date created	Date added	Peer reviewed?	Patient-facing?
Results article	Results	01/11/2001		Yes	No