In addition to the general strategies for evaluating sources and EBM criteria, examining an information source for its use of PICO can be beneficial.

What is the PICOT Model?

Defining a clinical question in terms of the specific patient problem aids the searcher in finding relevant evidence in the literature. The PICO Model is a format to help define a research question. But examining the use of PICO in a source can also be useful in evaluating its purpose and scope because it addresses foreground questions instead of being limited to background questions.

The P.I.C.O.T. Model for Medical Research

P	Patient, Population, or Problem	What are the characteristics of the group of patients?
I	Intervention	Which main intervention is useful?
C	Comparison	How does the group that is treated with the intervention compare to the group that is not treated?
O	Outcome	What can I hope to accomplish, measure, improve, or affect?
T	Time / Type of study	What time periods should be considered? What study types are most likely to have the information I am seeking?

Background vs. Foreground Questions

Background questions concern general knowledge. These types of questions generally have only 2 parts:

A question root (who, what, when, where, how, why) and
a disorder, test, treatment, or other aspect of health care.

Often these questions can best be answered by using a textbook or consulting a clinical database.

Foreground questions are specific knowledge questions

that affect clinical decisions and
include a broad range of biological, psychological, and sociological issues.

These are the questions that generally require a search of the primary medical literature and that are best suited to the PICO format.

When Should I Use the P.I.C.O. Model?

Use the P.I.C.O. Model in doing health sciences research when you need to answer foreground questions.

Recommended:

View this video to get a more detailed understanding as to how foreground questions are applied to PICO.