Evidence Based Literature Searching

Knowing what type of question you are asking is important because you will want to use different resources to find an answer based on your question type. There are two main types of questions in clinical settings: foreground and background.

A background question is a broad question pertaining to general clinical knowledge. These types of questions can be answered with a textbook or basic reference resource such as UpToDate. A few examples are below:

• What are the common symptoms of the flu?
• How does diabetes affect the kidneys?
• When do complications of appendicitis usually occur?

A foreground question is a specific, focused question that often pertains to a clinical decision or action. These questions can often be put in PICO format, and should be answered with primary literature. A few examples are below:

• In children with asthma, does using a spacer with their inhaled corticosteroid compared to using it without a spacer result in better symptom control?
• For infants with colic, is a probiotic supplement more effective than a placebo in reducing crying episodes?
• In hospitalized children, does the Wong-Baker Pain FACES Rating Scale evaluate the child's level of pain more effectively than the Child Medical Fear Scale?