Nursing Research Methods

PICO is a method for answering a question using evidence.  PICO usually has the following elements: 

P = Patient or Population

I = Intervention or Indicator

C = Comparison or Control

O = Outcome

Useful PICO guides:     

Centre for Evidence Based Medicine

Kansas University Medical Center - A.R. Dykes Library

UAB Libraries - U of Alabama at Birmingham

University of North Carolina Health Sciences Library

David Lawrence Sackett is regarded as “the father of evidence based medicine.”   He defined evidence-based medicine as "the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients."

                           "Evidence Based Medicine: What It is and What It Isn't" - BMJ