How to search the literature effectively: a step by step guide for success
E-Learning Module 3: how to develop your search strategy
PICO Search planning form
1.Describe your initial search topic
2.Identify the key concepts of your search using PICO
PICO
Examples
Population/Patient/Problem
e.g age, setting, health condition
Intervention
e.g. Drug name, diagnostic tool or
rehabilitation type
Comparison
Optional: use only if you want to
compare two or more interventions
Outcome
e.g.. Quality of life, length of stay,
mortality, wellbeing
Your search concepts
How to search the literature effectively: a step by step guide for success: SEARCH PLANNING FORM PICO
3. Use PICO to turn your topic into question for example
In patients with [problem], is [intervention] more effective than [comparison] at improving/reducing/preventing [outcome]?
4. Identify your main keywords and alternative key words using PICO to help you structure your search
Patient / Problem
Intervention
Comparison (if applicable)
Insert your main keywords for each PICO element below
Insert alternative keywords for each PICO element below
How to search the literature effectively: a step by step guide for success: SEARCH PLANNING FORM PICO
Outcome
5. When entering your keywords into a database,


Use OR to combine all your keywords within each PICO element. This will give you total number of articles for each part of PICO and
will initially increase your search results.
Then use AND to combine the total number of results from each PICO component. This will narrow your results and ensure they contain
all aspects of your topic.
You search strategy will look something like this:
Patient / Problem
Intervention
Comparison
Outcome
(if applicable)
OR
OR
OR
OR
OR
OR
OR
OR
OR
OR
OR
OR
Total results for P
AND
Total results for I
AND
Total results for C
How to search the literature effectively: a step by step guide for success: SEARCH PLANNING FORM PICO
AND
Total results for O