PICO - Framing a Searchable Question - Clinical Faculty Orientation - Guides at McMaster University Health Sciences Library

PICO : A good search strategy usually contains "P", "I" and "C"

Patient, Population, or Problem	How would I describe a group of patients similar to mine?
Intervention, Prognostic Factor, or Exposure	Which main intervention, prognostic factor, or exposure am I considering?
Comparison or Intervention (if appropriate)	What is the main alternative to compare with the intervention?
Outcome you would like to measure or achieve	What can I hope to accomplish, measure, improve or affect?

If you cannot find your topic in an Evidence Summary (BMJ Best Practice, Dynamed, UpToDate etc) you will need to search other resources, like Cochrane and PubMed Clinical Queries. PICO can help you translate your clinical question into searchable concepts.

Example:

What is the optimal corticosteroid regime for an 8 year old female with steroid-responsive nephrotic syndrome?

P: child, steroid-responsive nephrotic syndrome

I: corticosteroid

C: randomized controlled trials