First, identify each element of your PICO on the line below, then take a look at the templates below to help you formulate a PICO(T) question.
P: Population/disease ( i.e. age, gender, ethnicity, with a certain disorder)
P: ________________________________________________________
I: Intervention or Variable of Interest (exposure to a disease, risk behavior, prognostic factor) Note: Not every question will have an intervention (as in a meaning question – see below).
I: ________________________________________________________
C: Comparison: (could be a placebo or "business as usual" as in no disease, absence of risk factor). Note: This is not used in a meaning question – see below.
C: ________________________________________________________
O: Outcome: (risk of disease, accuracy of a diagnosis, rate of occurrence of adverse outcome)
O: ________________________________________________________
T: Time: The time it takes to demonstrate an outcome (e.g. the time it takes for the intervention to achieve an outcome or how long participants are observed). This is an optional “add-on” for a PICO question.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For PICO questions about a nursing intervention/therapy:
In (P), what is the effect of (I) on (O) compared with _(C) within __ (T)?
For PICO etiology questions:
Are _ (P) who have _ (I) at (increased/decreased) risk for/of_______ (O) compared with _ (P) with/without (C) over (T)?
For PICO questions involving prevention:
For (P) does the use of (I) reduce the future risk of (O) compared with _ (C)?
For PICO questions that predict:
Does _ (I) influence (O) in patients who have (P) over __ (T)?
For PICO questions that want to know more about the meaning of…..
How do (P) diagnosed with (I) perceive (O) during __ (T)?
Sample Solution