NURSING: Asking the PICO or PICo Question

Effectiveness Questions

     P = Population

     I = Intervention

     C = Comparison

     O = Outcome

Meaningfulness

     P = Population

     I = Phenomenon of Interest

     Co = Context

This excellent, 5-minute video from the University of Queensland Library (Australia) provides an overview of:

1. how to formulate a PICO question,
2. put together a search strategy to use in library databases,
3. and locate sources based on the desired level of evidence (LOE).

When creating the PICO question, it is important to focus on topics relevant to nursing practice. 

Below are examples of nursing related questions:

Intervention/Effect/Therapy PICO Question:

An example:

In adult patients with total hip replacements (Patient population) how effective is early ambulation (Intervention of interest) compared to bed rest (Comparison intervention) on decreasing post-op DVTs (Outcome)?

Note: The question may also appear as:

What is the effectiveness of early ambulation, compared to bed rest, on decreasing post-op DVTs in adult patients with total hip replacements.

Meaning PICO Question:

How do pregnant women (P) newly diagnosed with diabetes (I) experience reporting their blood sugar levels (O) to their healthcare providers?