Occupational Therapy Assistant: Evidence-Based Practice : PICO
PICO Tutorials
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Evidence-Based Practice in Occupational Therapy: An Introduction, OT seekerProvides an introduction EBP and PICO and includes helpful information on integrating these concepts using OT seeker, PyschINFO, Medline, and CINAHL.
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EB Tools, Centre for Evidence Based Medicine"Asking Focused Questions" section provides PICO examples and tips.
EBP Pyramid & PICO
EB resources can be gathered from a variety of information sources as illustrated in the EBP Pyramid. This visual guide portrays how the quality of evidence can increase or decrease depending on the information source.
Use the PICO model below to narrow and focus your questions using EB resources.
What is the P.I.C.O. Model?
Helps define a clinical question in terms of the specific patient problem and aids the searcher in finding clinically relevant evidence in the literature.
P.I.C.O. Model for Clinical Questions
P |
Patient, Population, or Problem |
How would I describe a group of patients similar to mine? |
I |
Intervention, Prognostic Factor, or Exposure |
Which main intervention, prognostic factor,
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C |
Comparison or Intervention (if appropriate) |
What is the main alternative to compare
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O |
Outcome you would like to measure or achieve |
What can I hope to accomplish, measure,
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What type of question are you asking? |
Diagnosis, Etiology/Harm, Therapy, Prognosis,
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Type of study you want to find |
What would be the best study design/methodology? |
Example: Does joint protection education (I) improve function and reduce stiffness (O) for people with rheumatoid arthritis (P) compared with standard arthritis education (C)?
Type of question? Treatment
Source: OT seeker, "Introduction to EBP in Occupational Therapy: An Introduction". Retrieved from http://www.otseeker.com/resources/pdf/Introduction%20to%20EBP.pdf