Using PICO to form clinical foreground questions

PICO is a mnemonic used to describe the four elements of a consistent, well-structured clinical question that is neither too broad nor too narrow, often most appropriate for addressing the impact of an intervention/therapy/treatment. It stands for:

P - Patient/Problem/Population
I - Intervention
C - Comparison
O - Outcome

Example:
"For adolescents with type II diabetes (P), does the use of telehealth consultations (I) compared to in-person consultations (C) improve blood sugar control (O)?

Framing Different Types of Clinical Questions with PICO

Different types of clinical questions will be suited to different syntaxes and phrasings, but all will clearly define the PICO elements.  The definitions and frames below may be helpful for organizing your question:

Intervention/Therapy

Questions addressing how a clinical issue, illness, or disability is treated to reach the best outcome.

"In__________________(P), how does__________________(I) compared to_________________(C) affect______________(O)?"

Etiology

Questions that address the causes or origin of disease, or the greatest risk factors toward a certain disease or disorder.

"Are_________________(P), who have_________________(I) compared with those without_________________(C) at_________________risk for/of_________________(O) over_________________(T)?" 

Diagnosis:

Questions addressing which test or evaluation is more accurate to diagnose a disease or injury.

In_________________(P) are/is_________________(I) compared with_________________(C) more accurate in diagnosing_________________(O)?

Prognosis/Prediction:

Questions addressing the prediction and likely complications of the course of a disease.

In_________________(P), how does_________________(I) compared to_________________ (C) influence_________________(O)?

Meaning

Questions addressing how an individual, group, or community experiences a phenomenon, or why we need to approach our practice differently.

"How do_________________(P) with_________________(I) perceive_________________(O)?" 

Adapted from:

NYU Libraries. Capstone and PICO Project Toolkit

Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2011). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.