Finding the evidence – Using PICO searching to support evidence-based nursing practice
- STEP 1: Formulate the PICO question.
- STEP 2: Identify keywords for each PICO element.
- STEP 3: Plan your search strategy.
- STEP 4: Execute the search.
- STEP 5: Refine your results.
- STEP 6: Review the literature.
How would you describe PICO?
PICO stands for patient/population, intervention, comparison and outcomes.
What does a PICO question look like?
PICO Question Formats:
For ___________ does the use of _________________ reduce the future risk of ____________ compared with ______________? Are (Is) ________________ more accurate in diagnosing _______________ compared with ____________? Does ____________ influence ______________ in patients who have _____________?
How do you state a PICO question?
Your PICO should fit only one type of question in the list. For an intervention/therapy: In _______(P), what is the effect of _______(I) on ______(O) compared with _______(C) within ________ (T)?
What are the elements of a PICO?
These make up the four elements of the PICO model: Patient/ Problem, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome. The PICO process starts with a case scenario from which a question is constructed that is relevant to the case and is phrased in such a way as to facilitate finding an answer.
What is a PICO in research?
The PICO (population, intervention, control, and outcomes) format [Table 1] is considered a widely known strategy for framing a “foreground” research question.
Why do we use PICO in research?
Empirical studies have shown that the use of PICO frames improves the specificity and conceptual clarity of clinical problems,11 elicits more information during pre-search reference interviews, leads to more complex search strategies, and yields more precise search results.
What is PICO format in nursing?
PICO is a format for developing a good clinical research question prior to starting one’s research. It is a mnemonic used to describe the four elements of a sound clinical foreground question.
How do you find evidence based articles?
How to Search for Evidence to Answer the Clinical Question
- Identify the type of PICOT question.
- Determine the level of evidence that best answers the question.
- Select relevant databases to search (such as the CDSR, DARE, PubMed, CINAHL).
- Use keywords from your PICOT question to search the databases.
What is PICO in quantitative research?
The PICO (Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) framework is commonly used to develop focused clinical questions for quantitative systematic reviews.
What is the difference between a research question and a PICO question?
PICOT is different from a standard research question because it is a clinical question. It is composed of various elements that create a framework for research that typical research questions do not usually have. The goal or purpose of PICOT is to ultimately intervene in someone’s healthcare.
How do you find evidence based literature?
Best practices for effectively searching journal databases like CINAHL & PubMed:
- Identify your topic’s key concepts and related terms.
- Select subject terms (using a database’s controlled vocabulary/thesaurus) if this is an option.
- Search each of your different concepts/subject headings individually.
How can you tell if something is evidence-based practice?
An evidence-based practice is a practice that has been rigorously evaluated in experimental evaluations – like randomized controlled trials – and shown to make a positive, statistically significant difference in important outcomes.
Where can I find evidence based?
Evidence-Based Practice Resources
- PubMed for Nurses: Provides free access to MEDLINE, the NLM database of indexed citations and abstracts.
- Welch Medical Library: For Johns Hopkins Health System employees.
- CINAHL Complete: A research tool for nursing and allied health professionals.
What type of research is PICO used for?
The PICO tool focuses on the Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcomes of a (usually quantitative) article. It is commonly used to identify components of clinical evidence for systematic reviews in evidence based medicine and is endorsed by the Cochrane Collaboration [2].
