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Nursing PhD Student Resource Guide

Formulating a Research Question

Use a research question framework to ensure that your question is:

Specific
Answerable

ØPICO:  Patient;  Intervention; Comparison; Outcome

ØPEO: Population; Exposure; Outcome

ØSPIDER: Sample; Phenomenon of Interest; Design; Evaluation; Research Type. 

Building Clinical Questions with PICO(T)

The PICO(T) format can help you develop a clear, answerable research question and decide what type of evidence you are looking for.

These templates can help you form a research question. (Note:  Not every question may contain all PICO elements.)

Some sample PICO templates

For an intervention or therapy:

In _______(P), what is the effect of _______(I) on ______(O) compared with _______(C), within ________ (T)?

For a diagnosis or diagnostic test:

Are (is) _________ (I) more accurate in diagnosing ________ (P) compared with ______ (C) for _______ (O)?

For prevention questions:

For ________ (P) does the use of ______ (I) reduce the future risk of ________ (O) compared with _________ (C)?