In  ____________________(P),  how  does  ____________________  (I)  compared  to

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)?