1. Formulate question - briefly describe the key aspects of your search topic
2. Break down your topic into key concepts to formulate a clear clinical question - introducing PICO which can lead to a more focused search strategy
P |
Patient/Problem/Population |
Describe your patient and their problem |
I |
Intervention |
Describe the main intervention, exposure, test or prognostic factor under consideration |
C |
Comparison |
In the case of treatment, describe a comparative intervention (although a comparison is not always needed) |
O |
Outcomes |
Describe what you hope to achieve, measure or affect. |
3. For example, a doctor assesses a patient with depression. The doctor decides to prescribe antidepressant medication but the patient is worried about side-effects. The doctor has heard that CBT has been used to treat depression and carries out a search of the medical literature using the PICO strategy.
P |
Patient/Problem/Population |
In a patient with depression |
I |
Intervention |
is CBT/cognitive behaviour therapy |
C |
Comparison |
compared with fluoxetine/prozac |
O |
Outcomes |
better at improving depressive symptoms |
4. Define any limiting factors e.g. publication date, age group, English language
4. Define any limiting factors e.g. publication date, age group, English language