Systematic Reviews & Evidence Synthesis Methods

PICO questions are a helpful framework for any search you conduct. Here are a couple other ways you can tweak the PICO formula for your particular study: 

For Qualitative Studies

• P - Population/Problem
• I - Phenomenon of Interest 
• Co - Context

Example: What are the experiences (phenomenon of interest) of caregivers providing home based care to patients with Alzheimer's disease (population) in Australia (context)?

For Quantitative Studies

• P - Population/Problem
• I - Intervention/Exposure
• C - Comparison
• O - Outcome

Example: Is gabapentin (intervention), compared to placebo (comparison), effective in decreasing pain symptoms (outcome) in middle aged male amputees suffering phantom limb pain (population)?

Below are some additional research question frameworks. While these are not standard for a systematic review, they can be a useful tool for other research projects you conduct. 

SPICE

• S - Setting
• P - Perspective (for whom)
• I - Intervention/Exposure
• C - Comparison
• E - Evaluation

Example: What are the benefits (evaluation) of a doula (intervention) for low income mothers (perspective) in the developed world (setting) compared to no support (comparison)?

SPIDER

• S - Sample
• PI - Phenomenon of Interest
• D - Design
• E - Evaluation
• R - Study Type

Design: questionnaire, survey, or interview
Study Type: qualitative or mixed methods
Example: What are the experiences (evaluation) of women (sample) undergoing IVF treatment (phenomenon of interest) as assessed?

Ghezzi-Kopel, Kate. (2019, September 16). Developing your research question. (research guide). Retrieved from https://guides.library.cornell.edu/systematic_reviews/research_question