Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:Introduction to Health Care and Public Health in the U.S.
Unit:Evolution of and Trends in Health Care in the U.S.
Lecture:Evidence-Based Medicine
Slide content:PICO Questions P = Patient What are the characteristics of the patient/population/problem? I = Intervention What is the intervention, prognostic factor or exposure? C = Comparison What is the main alternative to compare with the intervention? O = Outcomes What is the measurement or improvement? 13
Slide notes:When clinicians and researchers seek evidence for clinical practice, they often ask questions with respect to the medical literature in a format that has been described as pico , or P-I-C-O where P stands for patient, I for intervention, C for comparison, and O for outcomes. The first part of a well-structured question is about the patient, or P. What are the characteristics of the population of patients being studied and the problem at hand? The second part is about intervention, or I. What is the intervention or prognostic factor or exposure that is to be considered? The third part is about comparison or C, what are the main alternatives that need to be compared with the intervention? And then finally, O for outcomes. What is the measurement or improvement that is suggested by the intervention? 13