LibGuides: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP): A Guide to McFarlin Library Resources: PICO(t)

What is PICO(t)?

The word PICO(t) is a mnemonic derived from the elements of a clinical research question – patient, intervention, comparison, outcome and (sometimes) time.

PICO: A Model for Evidence Based Research - Video

Ask a PICO(t) question

PICO(t) is used to create a researchable question based on a clinical situation encountered. Your question should be relevant to the patient or the problem. Based on your PICOT question, you will identify keywords and/or subject terms to use in database searches.

Patient/Population

Intervention (variable)

Comparison (Control)

Outcome

Time

How would you describe the population, patient/problem?
What are specific characteristics or health issues (age, race, sex, geographic location, diabetes, access to healthcare, etc.)

What do you plan to do for the patient?
Medication, procedure, diagnostic test, questionnaire, time. Be specific.

What is the alternative?
No treatment, different type of treatment, common practice?

What is being measured, or improved?
What are the consequences of the intervention?
What do you hope to accomplish?
Lab values, less symptoms, length of stay, time?

What is the time frame or appropriate follow-up time to assess the outcome?

Putting your question in PICO format

How do I put something in PICO format?

There are different templates for different problems. Here are some question templates for asking PICOT Questions:
- PICOT Templates & Examples #1
- PICOT Templates & Examples #2

The Well-Built, Patient-Oriented Clinical Question
This worksheet from Dartmouth Biomedical Libraries can help clarify the parts of your PICO question.

7 Steps to the Perfect PICO Search
PICO search strategy handout from EBSCOhost

PICOT Question Breakdown
Abstract
Health care reform poses major challenges for psychiatric mental health care. Foremost among the challenges is a
mandate for reimbursement based on performance-based outcomes. Clinicians can increase the efficiency of evidencebased practice searches by using the correct form of PICOT (population, intervention, comparator, outcome, time
frame) question to focus the search, based on (a) diagnosis, (b) treatment, (c) prognosis, (d) etiology, (e) prevention,
and (f) meaning. The correct form of a PICOT question focuses the literature search by requiring a minimum of
sorting to find relevant studies. Quickly and effectively locating the critical evidence will help meet the performance
standard mandates required by new health care reform legislation.