PICOT Research Question
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Original Editor - User Name
Top Contributors - Kapil Narale and Rishika Babburu
Introduction[edit | edit source]
The PICOT research question is widely used throughout the medical field, whether you're a Clinician, Physician, or Student. Creating a detailed and purposeful research question is one of the first steps into investigating different sources of knowledge, and conducting one's own evidence based research to learn about a topic or condition, and further their knowledge. This research is evidence based as it involves studies or reviews conducted by colleagues in the same or related disciplines. In turn, creating studies, and being able to conduct the research for further knowledge is a shared initiative between clinicians and researchers. [1]
In exclaiming the important of mapping out a research question, it was noted by David L. Sackett, Officer of the Order of Canada and the founding Chair of Canada’s first Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics at McMaster University, that: “one-third of a trial’s time between the germ of your idea and its publication in the New England Journal of Medicine should be spent fighting about the research question”. [1]
What is PICOT used for?[edit | edit source]
P[edit | edit source]
P represents Population - this would indicate the type of person or population of people that you want to research about. Here, you can note tier characteristics, perhaps any health conditions that might be present, any health goals, or any other qualities. [1]
I[edit | edit source]
I represents Intervention - this would be the treatment, conditions, or changing factor present in the question you are creating. [1]
C[edit | edit source]
C represents Comparison - this would be the group you want to compare to, generally the control group, who receives no treatment, a general standard treatment, or a 'gold-standard' treatment. [1]
O[edit | edit source]
O represents Outcome - this is the result or outcome that you would like measured in your research question. This would indicate the result of the intervention in your question. [1]
T[edit | edit source]
T, is an optional component of PICOT which represents Time - the period, or duration of effect, that is a part of your research question. [1]
Creating a PICOT question[edit | edit source]
Resources[edit | edit source]
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