If you already have a research question, you can use that question to identify relevant PICO elements that you can then use in a database to construct your search.
"What is the benefit of a fall prevention program (I) over traditional rehabilitation (C) in preventing harm from future falls (O) in the elderly (P)"?"
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P = elderly
I = fall prevention program
C = traditional rehabilitation
O = preventing harm from future falls
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On the other hand, if you are presented with a case study, you can use PICO to help you identify the most important elements of the case, and then form a research question and search strategy using PICO.
"Sarah is working at an care facility for the elderly (P) as part of her internship program. The number of patient falls has been increasing lately, so the director of the facility told Sara that she is looking to supplement traditional fall rehabilitation (C) techniques with new efforts. Sara remembers learning about a fall prevention program (I) that was successfully implemented at another facility. After Sara mentioned this idea, her director asked her to do some research to figure out if there is evidence that those programs have been successful at preventing falls (O)."
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P = elderly
I = fall prevention program
C = traditional fall rehabilitation
O = preventing falls
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The exact terms that you pull from a case or question may vary slightly, but that is okay at this point. You will learn how to expand your list of search terms when we start our database search, so that you do not miss relevant information.
