PICO is a mnemonic device used in nursing that helps a person remember the components of a well focused clinical question. It is a strategy used in the first step of Evidence Based Practice (EBP) to assess and ask when researching to formulate a searchable clinical question by helping to develop key terms.

Why is Picot used in nursing?

The word PICOT is a mnemonic derived from the elements of a clinical research question – patient, intervention, comparison, outcome and (sometimes) time. ... DNP students study PICOT question examples to determine the best process for crafting a question and finding an answer.

What does PICO represent?

PICO stands for patient/population, intervention, comparison and outcomes.