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Health and Exercise Sciences

This guide is to assist in the discovery and use of health sciences resources

PICO Questions

What is a PICO Question? 

A clinical question needs to be directly relevant to the patient or problem at hand and phrased in such a way as to facilitate the search for an answer. PICO makes this process easier. It is a mnemonic for the important parts of a well-built clinical question. It also helps formulate the search strategy by identifying the key concepts that need to be in the article that can answer the question. In some questions, a T is added to the end of the  PICO framework as well to help find a specific level of evidence (t=time).

Using PICO

PICO Breakdown

Patient

What are their most important characteristics?

  • primary problem
  • disease state
  • co-existing condition

Describe your patient specifically:

  • Sex
  • Age
  • Ethnicity
  • Socioeconomic factors

ALWAYS include this piece in your search string (keywords).

Intervention

What do you want to do for the patient?

  • Order a test
  • Prescribe a drug
  • Order a procedure

Other considerations:

  • Main intervention
  • Prognostic factors
  • Exposures

Almost always include this piece in your search string (keywords).

Comparison

What is the alternate intervention, if any?

  • A different drug
  • No medication
  • A Placebo
  • A different test
  • A different procedure

It is less common to include this piece in a search string (keywords).

Outcome

What are you hoping to achieve, measure, or change for the patient?

  • Alleviate symptoms
  • Improve test results
  • Reduce adverse events
  • Improve function

Could also be the result NOT desired.

Sometimes include this piece in your search string (keywords).

Time Factor or Type of Study
(Optional)
  • In what time frame should the intervention achieve the outcome?
  • What would be the best study design to answer the PICO question? 
  • Think of this element as additional, optional constraints to narrow the question

 

PICO on PubMed

Use the link below to fill out a PICO form and find relevant articles to find answers to your question(s). Check out the PICO Search on PubMed here.