The 5 Components of a PICOT Question
It is important to understand the components of a PICOT question to come up with an appropriate PICOT question formula.
PICOT is a mnemonic, meaning that it bears five main components.
- Population (P) – Who is the specific population? Where is the population? What is the clinical problem, issue, or health condition related to clinical care the population is facing?
- Intervention (I) – What is the evidence-based nursing practice intervention, treatment, or care management strategy?
- Comparison (C) – Who is the comparison population that will not receive the intervention?
- Outcome (O) – What are the anticipated consequences or clinical outcomes for the population that received the intervention?
- Time (T) – What length of time is the nursing intervention being performed for the patient/population to achieve the outcome?
For example, consider a question: Does handwashing among healthcare workers reduce hospital-acquired infections and associated risks compared to non-compliance to hand hygiene protocols?
The question above has the PICO elements. Let’s explore it further:
P (problem, patient, or population) – Healthcare workers
I (Intervention/Exposure) – handwashing
C (Comparison) – non-compliance with hand hygiene
O (outcome of interest) – reduced hospital-acquired infections and associated risks
Given the 5 components, which you can list on your PICOT question template, you can then convert the components into a PICOT formula in the format below:
In _________ (P), how does _________ (I) compared to _________(C) affect _______(O) within _______ (T)?
In _______(P), what is the effect of _______(I) on ______(O) compared with _______(C) within ________ (T)?
The scope of the formula will depend on the type of pattern you choose, as we shall explore in the next section.
