PICO
Pronunciation: PEE-ko
Also written as: PICO — Patient/Problem, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome
Structured framework for formulating clinical research questions: Patient/Problem, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome.
Full Definition
PICO is a standardized framework used in evidence-based medicine to structure clinical research questions and guide systematic literature searches. In cancer screening research, PICO helps define the target population (P), the screening intervention being studied (I), the comparison group or alternative screening method (C), and the measured outcomes such as cancer detection rates or mortality reduction (O). This framework is essential for developing clinical practice guidelines, conducting meta-analyses, and evaluating screening program effectiveness. Proper PICO formulation ensures that research questions are answerable and that evidence synthesis is methodologically sound.
Usage
Usage note: Capitalize when referring to the framework; lowercase when used descriptively.
In Context
- "The guideline committee used PICO criteria to structure their systematic review of cervical screening methods." — clinical guideline development
- "Each PICO question was assigned to a subgroup for evidence review and recommendation formulation." — expert panel methodology