Formulateing research question and hypothesis testing
- 1. Research Question & hypothesis Amna Khairy abdul kareem khairy MBBS(U of K) , MPH (NU) DRME (NU)MDCommunity Medicine candidate EPI Hub Centre For research and capacity building
- 2. Session Outlines How to formulate refined research question. What is research hypothesis Practice formulating research question 02/05/2021
- 3. Research Question determine: The study design The population to be studied, the setting for the study, The data to be collected, The time period for the study etc. 02/05/2021
- 4. Research questions should be: 02/05/2021 Consistent with expected standards Able to produce clear conclusions At the right level ( not too difficult ) Not too descriptive Use the ‘Goldilocks Test’ : too big, too small, too hot, just right
- 5. Research problem/Topic Research Question Relationship between post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy women and endometrial carcinoma. Refined Research Question Dose post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy predisposes women to develop endometrial carcinoma? Dose post menopausal hormone replacement therapy for more than 5 years predisposes women to develop histologically diagnosed endometrial carcinoma? Research Question Refined Research Question 02/05/2021
- 6. Research problem/Topic Research Question Refined Research Question Are children born to women whose husbands smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day have lower birth weight compared to children born to women whose husband don’t smoke? Passive Smoking may be associated with harmful effect on the foetus Dose Passive Smoking have harmful effect on the foetus? Dose Exposure to more than 20 cigarettes per day of Passive Smoking have harmful effect on the foetus? Dose Exposure to Passive Smoking associated with intrauterine growth retardation , low birth weight ,low Apgar score? 02/05/2021
- 7. PICO format for research Questions 02/05/2021
- 8. Scenario A 2-year-old boy presents in an outpatient clinic with fever and severe pain in his right ear. He has a history of recurrent ear infections, and his mother expresses a concern that he has been on the antibiotic amoxicillin for the past few weeks. She is worried about the consequences of the long-term antibiotic use. She is also concerned about the outcome associated with recurrent ear infections. She wants to know if the prescribed amoxicillin is effective, or it can be substituted with another antibiotic because of its side effects such as frequent diarrhoea 02/05/2021
- 9. • A 2-year-old boy presents in an outpatient clinic with fever and severe pain in his right ear. He has a history of recurrent ear infections, and his mother expresses a concern that he has been on the antibiotic amoxicillin for the past few weeks. She is worried about the consequences of the long-term antibiotic use. She is also concerned about the outcome associated with recurrent ear infections. She wants to know if the prescribed amoxicillin is effective, or it can be substituted with another antibiotic because of its side effects such as frequent diarrhea 02/05/2021
- 11. P 02/05/2021 Population or problem- addressing a specific population, its important characteristics and demographic information . Example: pediatric population with otitis media, the age range, sex, presenting complaint, and history.
- 12. I OR E 02/05/2021 Intervention or treatment of interest- the intervention can be a treatment, procedure and diagnostic test . Intervention can be your plan to treat the patient which can be a new therapy, a diagnostic test, or a procedure. For example, based on your observation in clinic, cefuroxime is another better treatment option as compared to amoxicillin in treating otitis media but you are not sure about its efficacy in pediatric population with otitis media. Exposture: to risk or prognostic factors , Example : smoking ,comorbidities COVID-19………
- 13. C Comparator or control-when a new therapy is compared with the existing one. 02/05/2021
- 14. O Outcome- is the effect of the intervention Example : the outcome in the above case can be the relief of pain, the resolution of infection, or decreasing the risk of developing resistance. A good primary outcome should be easily quantifiable, specific, valid, reproducible, and appropriate to your research question 02/05/2021
- 15. Research hypothesis Is a tentative statement that can be tested by a scientific research design. Is needed When research is concerned with relationship between observations or variables 02/05/2021
- 16. Research Question Dose post menopausal hormone replacement therapy for more than 5 years predisposes women to develop histologically diagnosed endometrial carcinoma? Research hypothesis Post-menopausal who received hormone replacement therapy of specified time and duration are more likely to develop endometrial carcinoma than post- menopausal women who did not receive such therapy. 02/05/2021
- 17. Research hypothesis Null hypothesis There is no difference in birth weight between children born to women whose husbands smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day compared to children born to women whose husband don’t smoke Alternative Hypothesis • Children born to women whose husbands smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day are of lower birth weight compared to children born to women whose husband don’t smoke 02/05/2021
- 18. Alternative hypothesis Non-directional hypothesis There is difference in birth weight between children born to women whose husbands smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day compared to children born to women whose husband don’t smoke Directional Hypothesis • Children born to women whose husbands smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day are of lower birth weight compared to children born to women whose husband don’t smoke 02/05/2021
- 20. Research problem/Topic Research Question Refined Research Question Research Question Refined Research Question Practice time Formulate refined research Question 02/05/2021