The Well-Built Clinical Question EBM always begins and ends with
the patient. To begin this process, consider the following
clinical scenario: The next step in this process is to take the
identified problem and construct a question that is relevant to
the case and is phrased in such a way as to facilitate finding
an answer. Anatomy of a good clinical question: PICO PICO is a
mnemonic that helps one remember the key components of a well
focused question. The question needs to identify the key problem
of the patient, what treatment you are considering for the
patient, what alternative treatment is being considered (if any)
and what is the outcome you want to avoid or promote. P =
Patient or problem How would you describe a group of patients
similar to yours? What are the most important characteristics of
the patient? This may include the primary problem, disease, or
co-existing conditions. Sometimes the sex, age or race of a
patient might be relevant to the diagnosis or treatment of a
disease. I = Intervention,