Overview
This lecture introduces the PICO method for formulating clinical questions in nursing, focusing on the five main types of PICO questions and their templates.
Introduction to PICO Method
- PICO is a mnemonic for building effective clinical foreground questions.
- Foreground questions target specific clinical issues, unlike broad background questions.
Elements of PICO
- P: Population/Problem — describes the patient group or condition.
- I: Intervention — main treatment, exposure, or therapy under consideration.
- C: Comparison — alternative intervention or control (if applicable).
- O: Outcome — desired results or effects.
Types of PICO Questions & Templates
- Intervention Questions: Determine which treatment gives the best outcome.
- Template: In [population], how does [intervention] compared with [comparison] affect [outcome]?
- Etiology Questions: Identify causes or risk factors for a disease.
- Template: Are [population] who have [risk factor] compared with those without [risk factor] at [outcome] risk for [disease]?
- Diagnosis Questions: Find which test most accurately diagnoses a condition.
- Template: In [population], is [test 1] compared with [test 2] as good at diagnosing [disease]?
- Prognosis / Prediction Questions: Predict likely outcomes of a condition or treatment.
- Template: In [population], does [intervention] compared with [comparison] predict [outcome]?
- Meaning Questions: Understand the meaning of an experience for a patient or group.
- Template: How do [population] with [condition] perceive [phenomenon]?
Key Terms & Definitions
- PICO — A framework for structuring clinical research questions (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome).
- Foreground Question — A focused question aimed at finding evidence for a specific clinical scenario.
- Background Question — A general knowledge question about a condition or topic.
- Intervention — Treatment or action considered for the patient/group.
- Etiology — Study of causes or origins of disease.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Practice drafting different types of PICO questions using the provided templates.
- Watch video 3 for more examples and practice with the PICO method.