Examples of PICOT Questions
Examples of PICOT Questions
Before we get into PICOT Question Examples, let’s define what a PICOT question is. PICOT is an acronym that can help you develop a clinical inquiry and lead your evidence search. Using this approach can help you identify the best evidence faster and more efficiently. The PICOT question format is a standardized “formula” for creating researchable, responsive questions. When you write a good one, the rest of the process of gathering and analyzing evidence becomes much easier.
P: Population/patient – age, gender, ethnicity, people with a particular disease
I: Intervention/indicator (Variable of Interest) – illness exposure, risk behavior, prognostic factor
C: Comparison/control – could be a placebo or “business as usual” in the absence of disease, lack of risk factor, or prognostic factor. B
O: Outcome – illness risk, diagnostic accuracy, and the frequency of unfavorable outcomes
T: Time – the amount of time it takes for an intervention to produce an outcome or the length of time participants are monitored
Not every question will contain an intervention (as in a meaning question) or time component (unless it is mentioned in another portion of the question).
