Physical Therapist Assistant Research Guide

This Research Guide is intended to support Physical Therapist Assistant students in finding and understanding information and accessing LCC Library resources related to their course of study. Use the blue tabs to navigate between pages.

If you need help with research or finding resources for PTA assignments, please contact the library liaison, Claire Dannenbaum at dannenbaumc@lanecc.edu .

Before you begin your research, try to clearly define your research question or issue. Think about specific patient populations, conditions, possible interventions and outcomes. The acronym PICO can help you do this.

P = population

I = intervention

C = comparison (often researchers compare 2 interventions when conducting studies, so it can help to think of 2 interventions to compare.)

O  = outcome

Example:  What physical therapy interventions reduce pain for diabetics with peripheral neuropathy?

Next, brainstorm keywords to search for sources. Pick out the keywords from your question, and consider synonyms, related ideas, etc.

Example:  What physical therapy interventions reduce pain for diabetics with peripheral neuropathy?

Possible search terms from the example above:

diabetic, diabetes, diabetics,
neuropathy, peripheral neuropathy, neuropathies
interventions, physical therapy, PT
feet, toes, hands, fingers, extremities, limbs
pain, reduce pain, walking, gait, balance

This is a critical step in research. Brainstorm your terms. Write them down. Review subject terms from items in the catalog. Add to the list as you go. Perform several searches. Research is an iterative process.

This form will help you to format your question using the PICO process and brainstorm search terms related to your question.