The PICO Model
Defining a clinical question in terms of the specific patient problem aids the searcher in finding clinically relevant evidence in the literature. The PICO Model is a format to help define your question.
| 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, or exposure am I considering? |
| C | Comparison or Intvervention (if appropriate) | What is the main alternative to compare with the intervention? |
| O | Outcome you would like to measure or achieve | What can I hope to accomplish, measure, improve, or affect? |
| What Type of question are you asking? | Diagnosis, Etiology/Harm, Therapy, Prognosis, Prevention | |
| Type of Study you want to find | What would be the best study design/methodology? |
Online Resources to Explore:
The National Library of Medicine (NLM)
The National Library of Medicine provides not only PubMed and MedlinePlus,
but several other useful resources.
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MEDLINEPlusConsumers' health information produced by the National Library of Medicine that is authoritative and up to date.
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TOXNETTOXNET is a publicly available portal to materials on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, and biohazards.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The CDC is also a great source for statistics.
For more information on this, see the Finding Statistics page.
The World Health Organization (WHO)
WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health
within the United Nations system.
The Cochrane Collaboration
The Cochrane Collaboration is an international network
known for providing the best possible evidence-based information.
The Joanna Briggs Institute
The Joanna Briggs Institute is an international collaborative focused on evidence-based healthcare.
Their website is a resource of reliable information and tools.
Some content is available to all for free and some requires a subscription/membership.
And More Online Resources to Explore:
Public Health Associations & Organizations
The following public health associations and organizations have a variety of resources available online.
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National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)Includes the Model Practices database.
Government Agencies, Departments, & Resources
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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)Use the information on specific Environmental Topics and Laws and Regulations for environmental information and data.
Resources for Practice Guidelines
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National Guideline ClearinghouseNOTE: THE guideline.gov WEBSITE WILL NOT BE SUPPORTED AFTER July 16, 2018. See full notice at https://www.ahrq.gov/gam/updates/index.html.