PICO ANALYSIS

QOESTION COMPONENTS YOUR ANSWER

P-Patient or Population
Describe the most important
characteristics of the patient,
(e.g. age, disease/condition,
gender)
I-Intervention: Prognostic
Factor; Exposure
Describe the main
intervention
(e.g. drug or other treatment,
diagnostic/screening test)
 CHECKLIST
TYPE OF QUESTIONS IDEAL TYPE OF STUDY
Therapy RCT
Prevention RCT>Cohort Study>Case Control
Diagnosis Prospective, blind controlled trial
comparison to goal standard
Prognosis Cohort Study > Case Control > Case
Series/Case Report
Etiology / Harm RCT > Cohort Study > Case Control
Cost Analysis Economic Analysis
Note: Meta-analyses and systematic reviews, when available, often provide the best
answer to clinical questions
C-Comparison (if appropriate)
Describe the main alternative being
considered
(e.g. placebo, standard therapy, no
treatment, the gold standard)
O-outcome
Describe what you’re trying to
accomplish, measure, improve, affect.
(e.g, reduced mortality or morbidity,
improved memory, accurate and timely
diagnosis)
Clinical question
• Pauline is a new patient who recently moved to the
area to be closer to her son and his family. She is 67
years old and has a history of congestive heart failure
brought on by several myocardial infarctions. She has
been hospitalized twice within the last 6 months for
worsening of heart failure. At the present time she
remains in normal sinus rhythm. She is extremely
diligent about taking her medications (enalapril,
aspirin and simvastatin) and wants desperately to
stay out of the hospital. She lives alone with several
cats.You think she should also be taking digoxin but
you are not certain if this will help keep her out of
the hospital. You decide to research this question
before her next visit. Pauline
• Patient / Problemcongestive heart failure,
elderlyInterventiondigoxin Comparison, if
anynone, placebo Outcomeprimary: reduce
need for hospitalization; secondary: reduce
mortality
• For our patient, the clinical question might
be: In elderly patients with congestive heart
failure, is digoxin effective in reducing the
need for rehospitalization?
 UNDERSTANDING CHECK LIST
• What is the objective of the study?
• What is the design of the study?
• How many patients were included in the
study?
• How are they grouped?
• What is the result of the study in term of
mortality?
• How many death were found in digoxin
group?
• What is the result of the study in term of
hospitalization?
• How many hospitalizations were found in
placebo group?
• What is the conclusion?
• What is the existing state of knowledge on
digoxin?
• What is the gap in knowledge that the study
will fill?
• What did the author intend to do?
• Where was the study conducted?