The PICO(T) approach can help specify each of the core concepts in your research topic. PICO(T) is an acronym for:
Patient problem/Population: What health issue do you want to investigate? What are the demographic characteristics of the patient population you want to study?
Example: Type II diabetes
Intervention: What intervention or treatment are you considering? Example: exercise, diet, rest, a technology, or a medication. You can be more specific here, for example, specifying the dosage of a drug.
Comparison or Control: What are you comparing the intervention or treatment to? The comparison can be another medication or perhaps no treatment at all.
Outcome: What is the desired outcome? Are you trying to eliminate or reduce adverse effects?
Type of study or Time: Occasionally, a fifth component is relevant to consider: the type of method/study. The T can also stand for time period, for example, the outcomes within the first year after commencing a treatment.
In_________(P), how does _________(I) compared to _________(C)
affect _______(O) within _______(T)?
Example:
In adults with type 2 diabetes (P), how does exercise (I) compared to diet (C) affect blood sugar levels (O) within the first year of implementation (T)?
Additional PICO templates can be found here.