Q. What is PICO(T) and how do I use it to formulate a clinical question for searching the biomedical literature?

WHAT IS PICO?

PICO is an acronym used to formulate a strong clinical question that is also used to create strong search strategies for finding the best evidence. ​ Use these steps to create and apply a PICO search strategy:

1. Organize the concepts in your clinical question using PICO.
2. Identify the keyword/s that represent the concepts to create a strong search strategy.
3. Test the search strategy in a biomedical literature database, including PubMed or CINAHL. Check results for relevancy, adding additional medical subject terms as keywords as needed.
4. Apply or remove database limits as needed. 
5. Review results.

HOW DO I USE PICO?

How to Perform a PICO Search:   View this video to learn how to perform a PICO Search

7 Steps to the Perfect PICO Search - CINAHL:  In this document,  explore the importance or evidence-based nursing practice, take a deeper dive into the PICO process and provide an example of the PICO process in action through a case scenario.

Example

Clinical question: Does hand sanitizing reduce hospital-acquired infections as well as handwashing with soap?
 

1. Organize the concepts in your clinical question using PICO:
 

2. Identify the keyword/s that represent the same concepts to create a strong search strategy​

3. Test the search strategy in a medical literature database, including PubMed or  CINAHL. 

4. Check results for relevancy, adding additional medical subject terms as keywords as needed. Apply or remove database limits as needed. For a comprehensive search, remove the full-text limit.

​5. Review results.

See Also:

Nursing Research Guide:  See this guide to learn more about evidence-based practice and nursing resources. 

For more help using PICO using specific databases:

• CINAHL
• PubMed