PICO Framework
The PICO Framework is a useful tool to help you form a question that clearly articulates the major topics in your search. This framework is favored among evidence-based practice (EBP) researchers since the structure can accommodate most clinical research question types (therapy, prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, etiology, etc.)
PICO stands for:
| P |
I |
C |
O |
| Patient/Population/Problem |
Intervention |
Comparison |
Outcome |
| Age, condition, gender, geographic location or specific characteristics |
Treatment, prognostic factor, management strategy, diagnostic test or exposure |
Control or alternative management strategy you would like to compare to the intervention |
Patient-relevant consequences of the intervention
|
Examples:
- In adults (P) is hydroxyapatite (I) as effective as fluoride (C) in preventing cavities (O)?
- For adults suffering from depression (P), what is the effectiveness of St. John’s Wort (I) compared to SSRIs (C) in the successful treatment of depression (O)?
There are also other question frameworks you can use depending on your question. These include: CoCoPop, PEO, PFO, SPICE and SPIDER.
