PICO Question Submission
Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to submit your PICO question, which is the topic you have been researching over the past few weeks. This exercise will help you clarify your clinical question and ensure it is well-structured and focused.
Instructions:
- Submit Your PICO Question:
- Topic Submission: Submit the PICO question that you have been researching. Ensure your question is clear, specific, and well-defined.
- PICO Framework: Utilize the PICO framework to structure your question. Be sure to address each component of the framework:
- P: Patient, Problem, or Population
- I: Intervention
- C: Comparison
- O: Outcome
- T: Timeframe, Type of Study, or Type of Question (if applicable)
- PICO Framework Guidance:
- Clarify Your Clinical Question: Use the PICO mnemonic to help clarify your clinical question. Think specifically about different aspects of what you want to investigate. Ensure you are clear and specific about what you are looking for to target the right evidence to use in practice.
- Good PICO vs. Bad PICO:
- Good PICO: A good clinical question will address most, if not all, parts of the PICO framework. It will be specific, define terms and outcomes if necessary, and investigate something new in terms of diagnosis, etiology, therapy, harm, etc.
- Bad PICO: A bad PICO is usually a background question disguised as a research question. It may be too vague, lack specificity, and may not require in-depth research.
- Search Strategies:
- Literature Search: When searching for existing literature, try searching for one or two components of your PICO question first if you cannot locate articles that address the entire question. Build your case by explaining the research that is out there, even if your articles do not 100% match your entire PICO question.
- PICO Question Templates:
- Intervention/Therapy: In _______(P), what is the effect of _______(I) on ______(O) compared with _______(C) within ________ (T)?
- Etiology: Are ____ (P) who have _______ (I) at ___ (Increased/decreased) risk for/of_______ (O) compared with ______ (P) with/without ______ (C) over _____ (T)?
- Diagnosis/Diagnostic Test: Are (is) _________ (I) more accurate in diagnosing ________ (P) compared with ______ (C) for _______ (O)?
- Prevention: For ________ (P) does the use of ______ (I) reduce the future risk of ________ (O) compared with _________ (C)?
- Prognosis/Predictions: In__________ (P) how does ________ (I) compared to _______(C) influence _______ (O) over ______ (T)?
- Meaning: How do ________ (P) diagnosed with _______ (I) perceive ______ (O) during _____ (T)?
- Example PICO Questions:
- Intervention/Therapy: In school-age children (P), what is the effect of a school-based physical activity program (I) on a reduction in the incidence of childhood obesity (O) compared with no intervention (C) within a 1-year period (T)?
- Etiology: Are males 50 years of age and older (P) who have a history of 1 year of smoking or less (I) at an increased risk of developing esophageal cancer (O) compared with males age 50 and older (P) who have no smoking history (C)?
- Diagnosis/Diagnostic Test: Is a yearly mammogram (I) more effective in detecting breast cancer (O) compared with a mammogram every 3 years (C) in women under age 50 (P)?
- Prevention: For women under age 60 (P), does the daily use of 81mg low-dose Aspirin (I) reduce the future risk of stroke (O) compared with no usage of low-dose Aspirin (C)?
- Prognosis/Predictions: Does daily home blood pressure monitoring (I) influence compliance with medication regimens for hypertension (O) in adults over age 60 who have hypertension (P) during the first year after being diagnosed with the condition (T)?
- Meaning: How do teenagers (P) diagnosed with cancer (I) perceive chemotherapy and radiation treatments (O) during the first 6 months after diagnosis (T)?
- Resources:
- PICO Help: Utilize the following resources to help structure your PICO question and build a well-defined clinical question:
- PICO Question Templates: Use this guide to help structure your PICO question.
- The Well-Built Clinical Question: Check out this guide to building a PICO question, developed by UNC.
- Asking Focused Questions: PICO guide from the Centre for Evidence Based Medicine.
- Formulating Answerable Questions: Practice building your PICO questions here.
- Forming Focused Questions with a Specialty: A UNC Health Sciences Library guide about PICO questions within a specialty.
- Submission Guidelines:
- Format: Ensure your PICO question is well-structured and formatted according to APA 7 guidelines.
- Clarity and Specificity: Make sure your question is specific and clear, addressing all components of the PICO framework.
- Deadline: Submit your PICO question by the specified deadline.
