Using PICO to Search PubMed

• You are now ready to construct your initial search using the keywords from the final PICO chart on the previous page.
• To search, please use the "Advanced Search Builder" on the PubMed database, which can be accessed from the "Popular Resources" section of the Library home page.
• While there are many different databases you can use to search for information, PubMed is an excellent starting place!
• This tool will allow you to use Boolean Operators (AND / OR) to construct a more comprehensive search strategy.   

Boolean Operators help create the logic of your search.

• Use OR within each PICO column to find articles that have any of your search terms. OR helps you expand your search by searching for synonymous terms to make sure you are not missing out on any relevant articles.

• Use AND between each PICO column to find articles that have all of your search terms. Using the AND operator helps narrow your search and focus your search results more specifically on your research question.

You can see in this image that the organization of the PICO chart supports using Boolean operators to search.

STEP 1. Search each PICO column seperately, combining multiple terms with OR where appropriate.

You can manually type the word OR inbetween search terms using the database.

P= Elderly OR Aged OR Older People

I= Fall Prevention Program

C= Traditional Rehabilitation

O= Preventing Falls OR Harm Reduction

STEP 2. Combine your four searches together using the term AND.

The easiest way to do this is to use the "Actions" section of the Search History

RESULTS

Your final search will look like the one pictured below.

While this search is a good starting place, to develop a comprehensive search that is less likely to miss articles relevant to your PICO question, it is important to make sure you are including all relevant terms in your search strategy.

The next section will discuss how to use Term Mining to add more terms to your search.