Nursing Undergraduate Students: Setting-up a search strategy/PICO

Utilize the handout below for tips on framing your PICO Question.

Framing a research question

When you begin exploring a clinical research issue of interest, it is recommended to first frame the question or problem statement so it is not overly broad.

For quantitative research approach addressing outcomes, format the clinical question or problem statement using the PICO(T) mnemonic.

Formatting your clinical question/problem with PICO(T)

P= patient population or problem

I=Intervention

C=comparison intervention 

O= Outcome(s) to be measured 

T= timeframe and/or type of question (if applicable)

Essential Steps

• Use the PICO(T)/PICo mnemonic to format a clinical question or statement
• Underline the key concepts in the written clinical question or statement
• Identify related keywords/synonyms for the key concepts
• Search for subject headings, one at a time, in multiple relevant databases 
• Restrict relevant keywords to particular fields 
• Consider using shortened root words (truncation symbols) followed by an asterisk (e.g. anesthe*) to include various endings
• Combine similar keywords and subject headings using Boolean Operator OR 
• Connect keywords using Boolean Operator AND 
• Apply relevant limiters (full-text, author, date)