LOFIR: Introducing a framework for building midwifery-type questions

Abstract

Midwifery is an evidence-based profession. Evidence is drawn from a wide range of disciplines and midwife researchers are increasingly generating a distinct body of knowledge to support high quality care for women and their babies. Every enquiry must begin with a good question. This is the first step in the evidence-based practice cycle but existing question-building tools have largely emerged from the paradigm of evidence-based medicine. The questions student midwives want to develop often relate to women's experiences, rather than a comparison of treatment options. A framework to support the development of midwifery-type questions has not previously been differentiated. The LOFIR (theoretical location, focus, intervention, result) tool offers an alternative framework to facilitate the development of effective midwifery-type questions.