The classic formulation of the answerable clinical question asks for patient, intervention, comparison and outcome (PICO). It can be modified when asking questions of prognosis to query the 'risk factor of Interest' and, in diagnostics, the 'Innovative test' just to keep the acronym unsullied. Thinking like this lets us focus clearly on the question which is best placed to help our patients, but it does forget a crucial element in medicine: time.
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