Asking questions is at the heart of evidence-based practice.
If nurses never asked questions about how to improve patient care based on scientific research evidence, then no beneficial changes or advancements in nursing practice would occur. Cultivating a spirit of inquiry is essential for evidence-based practice implementation.
The PICO(T) model is used widely in evidence-based practice to construct a focused, well-built, and searchable clinical question. This page provides you with the following content to guide you in developing a PICO(T) question of your own:
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 basic template for creating a well-built clinical question for evidence-based inquiry.
P - Patient/Population/Problem
I - Intervention/Variable of Interest
C - Comparison (can be "standard care" or "usual care", or the opposite of I - "no meditation," "no exposure to smoke", etc.)
O - Outcome(s)
T - Time
In _____ (P), what is the effect of _____ (I), compared with _____ (C), on _____ (O) within _____ (T)?
There are several templates for developing a PICO(T) question, depending on the nature of your clinical problem.
See the Template for Asking PICO(T) Questions document for examples.
Identifying a clinical problem that can be translated into a PICO(T) question takes some brainstorming, research, and planning.
The following recommendations can help in triggering ideas for your PICO(T) question:
Problem-Focused or Practice-Focused Triggers:
Knowledge-Focused Triggers:
Titler, M. G., Kleiber, C., Steelman, V. J., Rakel, B. A., Budreau, G., Everett, L. Q., et al. (2001). The Iowa model of evidence-based practice to promote quality care. Critical Care Nursing Clinics of North America, 13(4), 497-509.
Need some inspiration for PICO(T) questions?
Helpful web resources for PICO(T) question ideas can be accessed below:
| PICO(T) Elements | How to Identify Each PICOT Element |
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P Patient/Population/Problem |
Who is your patient or population? Consider the following:
What is your patient/population's problem? Consider the following:
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I Intervention/Variable of Interest |
What intervention can you as a nurse implement for your patient/population? Consider the following:
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C Comparison |
What is your comparative intervention or your control? Most commonly, the comparison is standard care or usual care. If your comparison is something specific other than standard/usual care, include the name of the specific intervention here. |
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O Outcome(s) |
What is the desired outcome or optimal effect of the intervention? |
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T Time |
How long would it take to reach a desired outcome? Or, what is the time frame of your patient scenario? Consider the following:
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