University of Illinois at Chicago University Library. (2016 Oct. 14). PICO: Developing the Answerable Clinical Question [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/0bGJoN2NHc8
The PICO model is used in medicine to form a well-built clinical question that can be used to form a search strategy when doing research.
PICO is a mnemonic used to describe the four elements of a good clinical foreground question.
P = Population/Problem
How would I describe the problem or a group of patients similar to mine?
I = Intervention
What main intervention, prognostic factor or exposure am I considering?
C = Comparison
Is there an alternative to compare with the intervention?
O = Outcome
What do I hope to accomplish, measure, improve or affect?
Sometimes, Time (T) is added to the formula.
Stevenson University Library. (2021 March 11). Nursing research [LibGuide]. https://stevenson.libguides.com/c.php?g=41475&p=1439563
Background questions are general informational questions about a condition, treatment, etc. such as how often a person with a family history of colon cancer should have a colonoscopy.
Foreground questions are specific knowledge questions
Knowing the type of foreground question can help you select the best study design to answer your question. You always want to look for the study design that will yield the highest level of evidence.
These are the questions that generally require a search of the primary medical literature and that are best suited to the PICO format
Adapted from Georgetown University Library, http://researchguides.dml.georgetown.edu/ebmclinicalquestions as seen in Stevenson University Library. (2021 March 11). Nursing research [LibGuide]. https://stevenson.libguides.com/c.php?g=41475&p=1439563
University of Illinois Library. (2021 August 20). Evidence-Based Medicine [LibGuide]. https://researchguides.uic.edu/c.php?g=252338&p=3954402