PICO
PICO is an acronym that can help focus your research question. PICO stands for:
| P |
Patient, Population, or Problem |
| I |
Intervention |
| C |
Comparison or Control |
| O |
Outcome |
Here is an example.
| Population |
In high school football players who have received head injuries... |
| Intervention |
would weekly checks of the air within the helmet padding... |
| Comparison |
when compared to checking air pressure before the season and again mid-season... |
| Outcome |
lead to lower concussion rates? |
In this example, the focus is on high school football players with head injuries. This study compares weekly helmet checks to only two checks a season.
- Is there a decrease in concussions rates with weekly checks?
- If there is enough evidence, should the school district require athletic trainers and football staff to check the helmets weekly?
If the school district does changes their helmet-checking requirements and schedules, this would be an evidence based practice.
See the guides/videos below for more information on PICO.
