Clinical evaluation: deciding what questions to ask

Preparation and planning ahead are all-important in carrying out an evaluative study. Systematic evaluation provides evidence for the justification of a given treatment or intervention. In this third article looking at clinical evaluation, the process of posing a question which lends itself to study is examined. Questioning, it is argued here, can be seen as having three progressively complex levels. These can uncover: first, whether an effect has taken place; second, what may have caused the effect; and third, how the effect might be improved. Previous articles in this series appeared in the March 13 and April 10 issues of Nursing Times.