The first stage of any evidence-based practice process is formulating an answerable question. This forms the foundation for quality searching. A well-formulated question will facilitate the search for evidence and will assist you in determining whether the evidence is relevant to your question.
An answerable question has a format that follows the PICO concept. The acronym translates to:
The question used in this guide was developed using the PICO concept. View the completed form.
"What interventions reduce the incidence and severity of bed sores in residents of aged care facilities?"
The website below may help you to understand and use the PICO concept.
View the example PICO worksheet below which is used to formulate a question relating to children with a temperature presenting to Emergency Centres. A blank PICO worksheet is available for you to practice how to formulate your question.