PICO is a format for developing a good clinical research question prior to starting one’s research. It is a mnemonic used to describe the four elements of a sound clinical foreground question. (Yale University’s Cushing/Whitney Medical Library). The question needs to identify the patient or population we intend to study, the intervention or treatment we plan to use, the comparison of one intervention to another (if applicable) and the outcome we anticipate. These make up the four elements of the PICO model: Patient/Problem, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome.
- P = Population/Problem.
- I = Intervention.
- C = Comparison.
- O = Outcome.
- T = Timeframe.
What makes a good clinical foreground question?
To benefit patients and clinicians, such questions need to be both directly relevant to patients' problems and phrased in ways that direct your search to relevant and precise answers." A well-built clinical foreground question should have all four components.
What are the elements of a well built clinical question?
Two additional important elements of the well-built clinical question to consider are the type of foreground question and the type of study (methodology). This information can be helpful in focusing the question and determining the most appropriate type of evidence. The for types relate to therapy, diagnosis, prognosis, etiology/harm
What are foreground questions in psychology?
Foreground questions can be further divided into questions that relate to therapy, diagnosis, prognosis, etiology/harm Therapy: Questions of treatment in order to achieve some outcome. May include drugs, surgical intervention, change in diet, counseling, etc.
What kind of questions are asked in a clinical search?
These are designed to ask about specific information for clinical decision-making and thus focus your search. Foreground questions are often asked in a format called PICO:: 4) Clinical O utcomes.
What are the four components of a clinical question?
Clinical questions can be narrowed down to four types: therapy, prognosis, diagnosis and economic/decision analysis.
What is a foreground clinical question?
Foreground questions ask for specific knowledge to inform clinical decisions. These questions typically concern a specific patient or particular population. They tend to be more specific and complex than background questions.
What makes a good clinical question?
Using three key questions to focus should aid the formation of a good clinical question, these are: What is the most important health issue for this patients? Which issue should I address first? Which question, when answered, will help the patient most?
What are the four components of a PICO question?
According to its guidelines, articulating a clinical question in terms of its four anatomic parts—Problem/Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome (PICO)—facilitates searching for a precise answer.
How do you write a foreground question?
PICO(T)PICO(T) is a mnemonic used to describe the four elements of a good clinical foreground question: ... How would I describe the problem or a group of patients similar to mine? ... What main intervention, prognostic factor or exposure am I considering? ... Is there an alternative to compare with the intervention?More items...•
What are the elements of a good research question?
In general, however, a good research question should be:Clear and focused. In other words, the question should clearly state what the writer needs to do.Not too broad and not too narrow. ... Not too easy to answer. ... Not too difficult to answer. ... Researchable. ... Analytical rather than descriptive.
Which is the best source for answering a foreground question quizlet?
Foreground questions can often be answered by consulting an up-to-date nursing or science textbook. A well-formulated PICOT question should specify the measurable patient outcomes that need to addressed.
What are the essential components of a PICO question?
These make up the four elements of the PICO model: Patient/ Problem, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome. The PICO process starts with a case scenario from which a question is constructed that is relevant to the case and is phrased in such a way as to facilitate finding an answer.
What is a good PICO question?
Example PICO Questions In school-age children (P), what is the effect of a school-based physical activity program (I) on a reduction in the incidence of childhood obesity (O) compared with no intervention (C) within a 1 year period (T)?
How do you write a good PICO question?
PICO Examples Describe as accurately as possible the patient or group of patients of interest. What is the main intervention or therapy you wish to consider? Including an exposure to disease, a diagnostic test, a prognostic factor, a treatment, a patient perception, a risk factor, etc.
What are examples of PICO questions?
Example PICO Questions In school-age children (P), what is the effect of a school-based physical activity program (I) on a reduction in the incidence of childhood obesity (O) compared with no intervention (C) within a 1 year period (T)?
Which is the best source for answering a foreground question quizlet?
Foreground questions can often be answered by consulting an up-to-date nursing or science textbook. A well-formulated PICOT question should specify the measurable patient outcomes that need to addressed.
What is an example of a clinical nursing research question?
Examples of broad clinical research questions include: Does the administration of pain medication at time of surgical incision reduce the need for pain medication twenty-four hours after surgery? What maternal factors are associated with obesity in toddlers?
What are some examples of EBP questions?
A question root (who, what, when, etc.) with a verb. A disorder, test, treatment, or other aspect of healthcare. Example: What causes migraines? or How often should women over the age of 40 have a mammogram.
What are the elements of a well-built clinical question?
Two additional important elements of the well-built clinical question to consider are the type of foreground question and the type of study (methodology). This information can be helpful in focusing the question and determining the most appropriate type of evidence.
What is background question?
Background questions ask for general knowledge about an illness, disease, condition, process or thing. These types of questions typically ask who, what, where, when, how & why about things like a disorder, test, or treatment, etc.
What is the skill of EBM?
According to the Centre for Evidence Based Medicine (CEBM), "one of the fundamental skills required for practising EBM is the asking of well-built clinical questions. To benefit patients and clinicians, such questions need to be both directly relevant to patients' problems and phrased in ways that direct your search to relevant and precise answers."
What is systematic review?
Systematic Review: a review in which specified and appropriate methods have been used to identify, appraise, and summarize studies addressing a defined question. (It can, but need not, involve meta-analysis). In Clinical Evidence, the term systematic review refers to a systematic review of RCTs unless specified otherwise.
What is a cohort study?
Cohort Study: a non-experimental study design that follows a group of people (a cohort), and then looks at how events differ among people within the group. A study that examines a cohort, which differs in respect to exposure to some suspected risk factor (e.g. smoking), is useful for trying to ascertain whether exposure is likely to cause specified events (e.g. lung cancer). Prospective cohort studies (which track participants forward in time) are more reliable than retrospective cohort studies.
Developing a Well-Built Clinical Question
Clinical practice problems surround us. Some typical questions we might ask are:
Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt Question Templates
Another way to frame the question is to use the templates developed by Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt.
Using PICO to Formulate Clinical Foreground Questions
PICO is a mnemonic used to describe the four elements of a good clinical question that is neither too broad nor too narrow. It stands for:
Topic Too Narrow or Too Broad
Your topic needs to be scalable to your paper. Make sure it isn’t too broad or too narrow. If you notice any of the following while searching for articles and books, you may need to refine your topic.
