P = population/patient/problem
(teenagers, the elderly, nursing home residents, persons with depression, lung cancer)
I = intervention
(therapy, drugs, surgery)
C = comparison
(traditional therapy, other drugs, non-invasive treatment)
O = outcome
(improved quality of life, symptom reduction, activities of daily living, longevity)
The PICO model is primarily used for clinical questions measuring the impact of a specific therapy or intervention.
The Other Question Formats page provides suggestions for other formats to use for more qualitative research, as well as variations on PICO that can make your search strategy more flexible.
If you use one of these other format options, please remember that you can follow all of the same steps we have laid out in this guide.
