Adapted from the PICOT Questions Template; Ellen Fineout-Overholt, 2006. This form may be used for educational & research purposes without permission.
Template
for
Asking
PICOT
Questions
INTERVENTION
In
____________________(P),
how
does
____________________
(I)
compared
to
____________________(C)
affect
_____________________(O)
within
___________(T)?
THERAPY
In
__________________(P),
what
is
the
effect
of
__________________(I)
compared
to
_____________
(C)
on
________________(O
within
_____________(T)?
PROGNOSIS/PREDICTION
In
______________
(P),
how
does
___________________
(I)
compared
to
_____________(C)
influence
__________________
(O)
over
_______________
(T)?
DIAGNOSIS
OR
DIAGNOSTIC
TEST
In
___________________(P)
are/is
____________________(I)
compared
with
_______________________(C)
more
accurate
in
diagnosing
_________________(O)?
ETIOLOGY
Are____________________
(P),
who
have
____________________
(I)
compared
with
those
without
____________________(C)
at
____________
risk
for/of
____________________(O)
over
________________(T)?
MEANING
How
do
_______________________
(P)
with
_______________________
(I)
perceive
_______________________
(O)
during
________________(T)?
Adapted from the PICOT Questions Template; Ellen Fineout-Overholt, 2006. This form may be used for educational & research purposes without permission.
Short
Definitions
of
Different
Types
of
Questions
Intervention/Therapy:
Questions
addressing
the
treatment
of
an
illness
or
disability.
Etiology:
Questions
addressing
the
causes
or
origins
of
disease
(i.e.,
factors
that
produce
or
predispose
toward
a
certain
disease
or
disorder).
Diagnosis:
Questions
addressing
the
act
or
process
of
identifying
or
determining
the
nature
and
cause
of
a
disease
or
injury
through
evaluation.
Prognosis/Prediction:
Questions
addressing
the
prediction
of
the
course
of
a
disease.
Meaning:
Questions
addressing
how
one
experiences
a
phenomenon.
Sample
Questions:
Intervention:
In
African-‐American
female
adolescents
with
hepatitis
B
(P),
how
does
acetaminophen
(I)
compared
to
ibuprofen
(C)
affect
liver
function
(O)?
Therapy:
In
children
with
spastic
cerebral
palsy
(P),
what
is
the
effect
of
splinting
and
casting(I)
compared
to
constraint-‐
induced
therapy
(C)
on
two-‐handed
skill
development
(O)?
Prognosis/Prediction:
1)
For
patients
65
years
and
older
(P),
how
does
the
use
of
an
influenza
vaccine
(I)
compared
to
not
received
the
vaccine
(C)
influence
the
risk
of
developing
pneumonia
(O)
during
flu
season
(T)?
2)
In
patients
who
have
experienced
an
acute
myocardial
infarction
(P),
how
does
being
a
smoker
(I)
compared
to
a
non-‐smoker
(C)
influence
death
and
infarction
rates
(O)
during
the
first
5
years
after
the
myocardial
infarction
(T)?
Diagnosis:
In
middle-‐aged
males
with
suspected
myocardial
infarction
(P),
are
serial
12-‐lead
ECGs
(I)
compared
to
one
initial
12-‐lead
ECG
(C)
more
accurate
in
diagnosing
an
acute
myocardial
infarction
(O)?
Etiology:
Are
30-‐
to
50-‐year-‐old
women
(P)
who
have
high
blood
pressure
(I)
compared
with
those
without
high
blood
pressure
(C)
at
increased
risk
for
an
acute
myocardial
infarction
(O)
during
the
first
year
after
hysterectomy
(T)?
Meaning:
How
do
young
males
(P)
with
a
diagnosis
of
below
the
waist
paralysis
(I)
perceive
their
interactions
with
their
romantic
significant
others
(O)
during
the
first
year
after
their
diagnosis
(T)?
