Searching for high-quality clinical research evidence – whether you are a nurse or a researcher – can be a daunting task, yet it is an integral part of the evidence-based practice process. One way to streamline the nursing research process for nurses and researchers of all backgrounds is to utilize the PICO search strategy. PICO is a format for developing a good clinical research question prior to starting one’s research. It is a mnemonic used to describe the four elements of a sound clinical foreground question. (Yale University’s Cushing/Whitney Medical Library). The question needs to identify the key problem of the patient, what intervention or treatment you are considering for the patient, what alternative intervention or treatment is being considered (if any) and what is the desired outcome to promote or avoid. These make up the four elements of the PICO model: Patient/Problem, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome.
PICO is a format for developing a good clinical research question prior to starting one’s research.
PICO is a format for developing a good clinical research question prior to starting one’s research.
The PICO process starts with a case scenario from which a question is constructed that is relevant to the case and is phrased in such a way as to facilitate finding an answer. Once a well-structured question is formulated, researchers will be in a better position to search the literature for evidence that will support their original PICO question.