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Gerontology

PICO Question

Use PICO to break down your question into smaller parts and identify keywords

P

I

C

O
Patient/Problem/Population
Intervention/Indicator
Compare/Control

(where applicable)
Outcome
Who are the patients you want to study? Think of age, sex, geography when trying to determine who it is you are interested in looking at. What is the intervention you are interested in? (medical, surgical, preventative?) Is there an alternative strategy to consider? What are the patient-relevant consequences of the intervention?
Example 1: Seniors/elderly with sleep disorders Acupuncture No acupuncture

Improve quality of sleep
Example 2: Seniors/elderly Aspirin No aspirin Reduce risk of heart attacks
Example 3: Patients with osteoarthritis of the knee Hydrotherapy Traditional physiotherapy Relieve pain

Question Example 1: In seniors with sleep disorders does acupuncture improve quality of sleep?

Question Example 2: In seniors does Aspirin reduce the risk of heart attacks?

Question Example 3: In patients with osteoarthritis of the knee is hydrotherapy more effective than traditional physiotherapy in relieving pain?

7 Steps to the Perfect Pico Question

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