PICO process
The PICO process is a mnemonic used in evidence-based practice to frame and answer a clinical or health care related question, though it is also argued that PICO "can be used universally for every scientific endeavour in any discipline with all study designs". The PICO framework is also used to develop literature search strategies, for instance in systematic reviews.
The PICO acronym has come to stand for:P – Patient, problem, or populationI – InterventionC – Comparison, control, or comparatorO – Outcome
An application that covers clinical questions about interventions, as well as exposures, risk/ prognostic factors, and test accuracy, is:P – Patient, problem, or population I – Investigated condition C – Comparison condition O – Outcome
Alternatives such as SPICE and PECO can also be used. Some authors suggest adding T and S, as follows:T - Timing S - Study type
PICO as a universal technique
It was argued that PICO may be useful for every scientific endeavor even beyond clinical settings. This proposal is based on a more abstract view of the PICO mnemonic, equating them with four components that is inherent to every single research, namely research object; application of a theory or method; alternative theories or methods ; and the ultimate goal of knowledge generation.| PICO component | Abstract component inherent to all research designs |
| Problem | Research object |
| Intervention | Application of a theory or method |
| Comparison | Alternative theories or methods |
| Outcome | Knowledge generation |
This proposition would imply that the PICO technique could be used for teaching academic writing even beyond medical disciplines.
Examples
Clinical question: "In children with headache, is paracetamol more effective than placebo against pain?"Population = Children with headaches; keywords = children + headacheIntervention = Paracetamol; keyword = paracetamolCompared with = Placebo; keyword = placeboOutcome of interest = Pain; keyword = painPubMed search strategy:
Clinical question: "Is the risk of having breast cancer higher in symptom-free women with a positive mammography compared to symptom-free women with a negative mammography?"Population = Women without a history of breast cancerInvestigated test result = Positive result on mammographyComparator test result = Negative result on mammographyOutcome of interest = Breast cancer according to biopsy