PICO Method
PICO is a format for developing a clinical research question. The mnemonic stands for:
- P - Patient/Population intended for a study
- I - Intervention or treatment planned
- C - Comparison of one intervention to another if applicable
- O - Outcome anticipated
Page Contents:
Formulate a PICO Question
A research question can be formulated once the elements of the question are determined. For example:
P (Patient) = women with severe endometriosis
I (Intervention) = laparoscopic surgery
C (Comparison) = traditional surgery
O (Outcome) = faster recovery
A question that may emerge is: "Does laparoscopic surgery for severe endometriosis in women over 40 usually result in faster recovery time?"
When you formulate your initial question, enter some or all of the terms into a library database (such as CINAHL or PubMed) as shown, with each term on a separate line. Additional terms may be suggested as you type.
As you review the results list, you will see additional helpful related terms begin to emerge, even from sources that may not exactly fit your query.:
As you notice new terms, you can adjust your search by adding them to your database query.
| PICO | Research Question | Other Keywords |
| P | women, endometriosis | endometrial tissue |
| I | laparoscopic surgery | minimally invasive surgery |
| C | open surgery | traditional surgery, laparotomy |
| O | faster recovery | quality of life |
For more information see:
Jensen, K. (2018). Evidence-based Nursing Practice: Seven Steps to the Perfect PICO Search
Databases That Incorporate PICO Strategies
The terms that emerge from your use of the PICO strategy can be used to search in any database found on the A-Z Databases page. However, some medical and allied health databases can help you structure some PICO searches more quickly. Database available at Harrisburg University that incorporate PICO include:
- CINAHL: Use the Filters to search by timeframe, geographic region, age group, gender, care classification, etc..
- PubMed: Provides Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), or tags, that are applied to each article and can be used to improve a search.
- Trip Medical Database: Allows a direct PICO search using a structured tab, in addition to a general search box.