The PICO Model
What is the PICO model?
A model to help define a clinical question in terms of the specific patient/population/problem. The PICO model aids the searcher (you) in finding clinically relevant evidence in the literature in an organized way.
When to use the PICO model-
Background questions concern general knowledge. These types of questions generally have only two parts:
- A question root (who, what, when, where, how, why)
- A disorder, test, treatment, or other aspect of health care
Often these questions can best be answered by using a textbook or consulting a clinical database.
Foreground questions are specific knowledge questions that affect clinical decisions, including a broad range of biologic, psychological, and sociologic issues. These are the questions that generally require a search of the primary medical literature and that are best suited to the PICO format.
PICO Model for Clinical Questions
| QUESTION | EXPLANATION | |
|---|---|---|
| P | Patient, Population, or Problem | How would I describe a group of patients similar to mine? |
| I | Intervention, Prognostic Factor, or Exposure | Which main intervention, prognostic factor, or exposure am I considering? |
| C | Comparison or Intervention (if appropriate) | What is the main alternative to compare with the intervention? |
| O | Outcome you would like to measure or achieve | What can I hope to accomplish, measure, improve, or affect? |
| T | Time | Over what period of time? |
| S | Type of study you want to find |
What would be the best study design/methodology? |
Table based on: Evidence Based Medicine: PICO. UIC Library.