Nurses must learn to ask questions in a format that facilitates searching for evidence. Developing a question that accurately reflects the practice to be evaluated, in a format that focuses the search for evidence, is a good place to begin (Tracy & Barnsteiner, 2014). It has been suggested that all nurses should learn how to use the PICO(T) format to ask clinical questions. PICO(T) is an acronym that assists in the formatting of clinical questions. Using this format helps the nurse to ask pertinent clinical questions, focus on asking the right questions, and choose relevant guidelines.
P = Patient, Population, or Problem
How would I describe a group of patients similar to mine?
What group do I want information on?
I = Intervention or Exposure or Topic of Interest
Which main intervention am I considering?
What event do I want to study the effect of?
C = Comparison or Alternate Intervention (if appropriate)
What is the main alternative to compare with the intervention?
Compared to what? Better or worse than no intervention at all or than another intervention?
O = Outcome
What can I hope to accomplish, measure, improve, or affect?
What is the effect of the intervention? (Levin, 2006a)