Asking well-built questions for evidence-based practice in augmentative and alternative communication

Area of Science:

• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
• Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

Background:

• Evidence-based practice (EBP) is increasingly adopted in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
• Asking well-built clinical questions is a crucial first step in EBP but often a challenge for practitioners.
• The PICO (patient, intervention, comparison, outcome) template is commonly used but may not fully suit AAC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the suitability of the PICO template for evidence-based practice in AAC.
• To propose an improved template for formulating well-built questions in AAC.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the PICO template's components and terminology for AAC.
• Development and illustration of the proposed PESICO (person, environments, stakeholders, intervention, comparison, outcome) template.

Main Results:

• The PICO template has limitations for AAC practice.
• The PESICO template offers a more comprehensive framework for AAC-related questions.
• The PESICO template is demonstrated with diverse AAC decision-making examples.

Conclusions:

• The PESICO template is a more appropriate and representative tool for formulating well-built questions in augmentative and alternative communication.
• The PESICO template can facilitate the application of evidence-based practice in AAC.
• Further research is needed to explore the application and effectiveness of the PESICO template.