Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a systematic approach to patient care decision-making based on current, best available research evidence.
The first step in EBP involves re-phrasing a clinical patient care issue in the form of a focused, searchable, and answerable question.
PICO(T) is a a template for creating a well-built clinical question for evidence-based inquiry. It includes the following components:
| Example | |
| P - Population/Problem | Adult cancer patients experiencing fatigue |
| I - Intervention/Variable of Interest | Meditation |
| C - Comparison (may be "standard care" or "usual care") | Standard care |
| O - Outcome(s) | Quality of life |
| T - Time | 6 months |
PICO(T) template:
In _____ (P), what is the effect of _____ (I), compared with _____ (C), on _____ (O) within _____ (T)?
Sample PICO(T) question:
"In adult cancer patients experiencing fatigue (P), what is the effect of meditation (I), compared with standard care (C), on quality of life (O) within 6 months (T)?"
A well-built PICO(T) question forms the basis of a database search strategy for research evidence.
Concepts from the PICO(T) question are used to construct a comprehensive database search with keywords and subject headings describing each relevant component of the PICO(T).
Your required textbook provides a wealth of material for generating and brainstorming ideas for PICO(T) Questions.
Helpful web resources for PICOT question ideas can be accessed below: