PICOT is a variation of PICO and is helpful for quantitative studies which will be evaluated over a period of time.
P: Population, or Patient
- Who are you trying to help?
I: Intervention
- Which treatment, therapy or intervention applies?
C: Comparison (optional element)
- Which treatment, therapy or treatment comprises a direct comparison, if any?
O: Outcome
- What are you hoping to achieve?
T: Time
- How long after the intervention will the outcomes be assessed?
A topic: Exercise reducing back pain
The PICOT breakdown:
P: Population, or Patient - People with back pain
I: Intervention - Pilates
C: Comparison - Aquarobics
O: Outcome - Reduced discomfort
T: Time - Data collected for 8 weeks
Does Pilates (I) reduce the discomfort experienced (O) by people with back pain (P) more than aquarobics (C) when assessed over an 8-week period (T)?