Stop 1: Meet with Mentor - Clinical Question & Initial Team Construction - The Clinical Inquiry Process Resource Guide - Research Guides at Virginia Commonwealth University

Meet with Mentor - Sign Off on Question and Team Members

Before proceeding, meet with your mentor or advisor to discuss your question. The goal of this meeting is to ensure that your question and approach are set up for success. Do not move forward until your mentor/advisor has signed off on the meeting sheet.

During the meeting, review the clinical question you've developed and how it aligns with the unit or hospital goals. This is also a great opportunity to explain why this question is important and discuss potential data sources that could help assess the impact of any proposed intervention.

Additionally, talk about the stakeholders who will be affected by the project and identify potential team members from the unit or hospital. It may be helpful to secure commitments from some of these team members to assist with gathering and evaluating evidence as you move forward.

Stop 1: Documents for Review

Question Development Tool - PICO This form will help you to think through the process of coming up with a question in the PICO format.
Stakeholder Analysis Tool
EBP Resource/ Meeting Log This form is intended to help those doing an EBP project to keep track of the people the project was discussed with, from question development to implementation. It is a list that will help to identify potential team members as well. The form also enables the team to keep track of what resources were consulted and what was found as the EBP question was clarified.

Questions for Mentors to Discuss with Mentees / Questions to Consider at this Point

What issues or problems have you observed in the practice environment, and how can they be addressed?
Why do you believe this is a problem?
What potential data sources could help determine if this is a true problem or assess the effectiveness of the intervention if a practice change is implemented?
What is your initial question?
What information or database resources have you consulted to formulate your question?
Which experts or other members of the organization have you discussed your question or idea with so far? What feedback or insights emerged from these discussions?
Have you identified potential team members who could assist with this project?
How does this question align with the hospital or unit’s goals?