Doctors Academy

The PICO framework is a useful tool for developing focused, researchable clinical questions. Each element of PICO helps you break down complex healthcare topics and structure questions that lead to effective, evidence-based answers.

What Does PICO Stand For?

• P (Patient/Population/Problem): Identify the patient group or problem you want to investigate. This could include specific characteristics, such as age, gender, health conditions, or population traits.
• I (Intervention): Define the main intervention, treatment, or exposure you are interested in studying. This could be a specific therapy, procedure, or health intervention.
• C (Comparison): Consider if there is an alternative intervention you want to compare. This element is optional and may not apply in every research scenario.
• O (Outcome): Determine the expected outcomes or what you hope to accomplish, measure, or improve. Outcomes can range from symptom reduction to improved quality of life.

Why Use PICO?

PICO helps organize research questions, making it easier to locate relevant, high-quality evidence in health databases. By clarifying each component of a clinical question, PICO facilitates efficient literature searches and enhances research accuracy.

Example of a PICO Question

If you are interested in exploring how exercise affects heart disease, your PICO question might look like this:

• P: Adults with heart disease
• I: Regular aerobic exercise
• C: No exercise or standard treatment
• O: Improvement in cardiovascular health

PICO Question: In adults with heart disease, does regular aerobic exercise improve cardiovascular health compared to no exercise?

Tips for Using PICO

• Start with a specific patient or problem and gradually define each component.
• Use PICO as a guide when searching for literature in databases like PubMed or CINAHL.
• Remember that not every PICO question needs a comparison element; it depends on your research focus.

Tips for Using PICO in Your Research

1. Start with Specifics: Clearly define the patient group or problem, as a well-defined population can make the rest of your question easier to construct.

2. Be Flexible with Comparison: Not all PICO questions require a comparison. If a direct alternative isn’t relevant, focus on the intervention and outcome.

3. Use Keywords from Each Component: When searching in databases like PubMed or CINAHL, use keywords derived from each PICO element to improve the precision of your results.

4. Explore Synonyms: Medical terminology can vary, so include synonyms for each element to capture a broader range of studies.

5. Consider Different Outcomes: Think about both primary and secondary outcomes to ensure your question is comprehensive.

6. Document Your PICO Terms: Record your PICO terms and any related keywords for easy reference, and keep them handy as you refine your searches.

7. Start Broad, Then Narrow: Begin with a broad search and gradually add filters or additional PICO elements to refine your results.

Maximizing Search Results

• Browse through the initial search results before limiting results to peer-reviewed or full-text availability.

• Not all scholarly journals are peer-reviewed.

• Content not available in full text in the database may be accessible through the library services.