PICO Clinical Question

STEPS

DEFINITION

APPLICATION

Step One: Create a General or Specific (PICO) Clinical Question

The clinical question is critical for a well-guided research that can be conducted to gather data or information that is efficient, and time-bound.

As much as possible, the clinical question must be specific, characterized by the PICO components. ‘P’ stands for the target population and its characteristics to be considered, ‘I’ refers to the intervention program, approach, method or technique which will be focused on for further research, ‘C’ represents the different groups for contrast of the research, and ‘O’ stands for the outcomes and its assessment using standardized measure methods.

It can be applied in determining the patient’s problem,

This is done through checking for clinically relevant articles in online databases or by entering relevant keywords in search engines and other reliable sources.

Finding external evidences can be applied in the overall clinical decision-making. It is important to base interventions on current evidences to give the clients tangible support of what is being done.

Step Three: Determine the Level of Evidence and Critically Evaluate the Study

Before making clinical decisions, it is important to check the reliability of the studies and evidences that were gathered in Step 2. This is done through evaluating them by using the adopted ratings or levels of clinical

Assessment

Administering screening to identify if the person exhibits deficits in communication

Administering evaluation and assessments to measure one’s level of communication and prove the eligibility to intervention services

Intervention

The goal of intervention is to reduce the risk or mitigate the effects of risk factors on a child's development so as to prevent future problems and promote the necessary conditions for healthy development. SLPs have the opportunity to play an important role in the prevention of communication disorders, especially in the field of early intervention.

If the patient is determined that they are at risk for deficit the SLPs will develop a plan for services and supports that includes intervention outcomes, approaches, methods, and settings.

Collaborate

SLPs coordinate with other professionals to attain the maximum goal of the patient. They work as an interdisciplinary team that characteristically work together, communicate consistently, coordinate information and resources, and collaborate with the families to achieve priority