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PICO is an acronym that allows you to translate a clinical observation, problem or trend into a focused question to help you quickly search the medical literature to identify relevant information to answer the question. It means
Patient/Population Intervention Comparison Outcomes
Who is your patient?
What do you plan on doing for the patient?
What alternative are you considering?
What do you wish to accomplish?
Example: Is adherence to the Mediterranean Diet associated with reduced risk of heart attack?
| Patient/Population | Intervention | Comparison | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
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PICO questions can have varying formats and are often very specific. Here are a few examples:
Is intermittent fasting (I) more effective than exercise (C) in improving glycemic control (O) in adults with type 2 diabetes (P) ?
*In some cases the comparison element of a PICO question is doing nothing or watchful waiting:
What is the effect of yoga (I) on reducing feelings of anxiety (O) in veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress (P)?
*For some topics, it is helpful to add T (time) to the question:
Is patient-controlled analgesia (I) more effective than nurse administered analgesia (C) in controlling pain (O) in knee arthroplasty patients (P) in the postoperative period (T)?
Learn more about PICO:
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