FROM MY PT SCHOOL NOTES · UNIT 1 OF 4
Questions, Study Designs & Bias
Start with a question worth answering, select a useful design and notice what might distort the result.
Chapters
Pick a lesson to understand the decision, not just memorize a definition.
EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE UNIT 01 · 5 CHAPTERS
01What evidence answers my patient’s question?Build a clinical question with a useful outcome02Which study design matches my question?Treatment, diagnostic and prognostic designs03Random sampling versus random assignmentRecruitment, group allocation and applicability04Can you trust an outcome measure?Reliability, validity and meaningful change05What makes a study result biased?Internal validity and competing explanationsKeep this question in mind
Before looking at a headline, ask whether the design and measurements answer the patient’s actual question.
Try three original research questions →
Educational lessons adapted from personal PT-school notes, with newer standards identified separately. Research summaries support rather than replace clinical judgment, patient preferences and your own coursework.
