Research Basics

Healthcare professionals sometimes use the PICO or PICOT format to develop keywords for searching of clinical questions where:

• P - Patient or Population or Problem
• I - Intervention or prognostic factor of interest
• C - Comparison to intervention
• O - Outcome of interest
• T - Time (sometimes included)

For more information on Evidence-Based Practice and using PICO to develop a clinical research question, please read: 

Asking the compelling question. (2019). In M. Godshall, Fast fact for evidence-based practice: Implementing EBP in a nutshell.  Springer Publishing Company.

Aslam, S., & Emmanuel, P. (2010). Formulating a researchable question: A critical step for facilitating good clinical research. Indian Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 31(1): 47–50.

Stillwell, S. B., Fineout-Overholt, E., Melnyk, B. M., & Williamson, K. M. (2010). Evidence-based practice, step by step: Asking the clinical question: A key step in evidence-based practice. American Journal of Nursing, 110(3): 58-61.