Residency Research Manual: PICO Questions

Upstate Medical University

Defines search terms or keywords and the type of question

P: describes patient, population or problem

• target of clinical question
• identify clinical characteristics relevant to question

I: describes the intervention under review

• what is being considered?

C: describes the comparison intervention

• what would be done in place of the intervention above?
• what is standard practice?
  • may not always be available

O: describes outcome

• what is relevant to patient or practitioner?
• what is found in the literature?