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The PICO process (or framework) is a mnemonic used in evidence-based practice (and specifically evidence-based medicine) to frame and answer a clinical or health care related question, [1] though it is also argued that PICO "can be used universally for every scientific endeavour in any discipline with all study designs". [2]
PICOT formatted questions address the patient population (P), issue of interest or intervention (I), comparison group (C), outcome (O), and time frame (T). Asking questions in this format assists in generating a search that produces the most relevant, quality information related to a topic, while also decreasing the amount of time needed to produce these search results.
The answer to a research question will help address a research problem or question. [5] Specifying a research question, "the central issue to be resolved by a formal dissertation, thesis, or research project," [6] is typically one of the first steps an investigator takes when undertaking research.
Unwarranted variations in medical practice refer to the differences in care that cannot be explained by the illness/medical need or by patient preferences. The term “unwarranted variations” was first coined by Dr. John Wennberg when he observed small area (geographic) and practice style variations, which were not based on clinical rationale. [5]
Health policy can be defined as the "decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific healthcare goals within a society". [1] According to the World Health Organization, an explicit health policy can achieve several things: it defines a vision for the future; it outlines priorities and the expected roles of different groups; and it builds consensus and informs people.
Increasing or decreasing one results in changes to one or both of the other two. For example, a policy that increases access to health services would lower quality of health care and/or increase cost. The desired state of the triangle, high access and quality with low cost represents value in a health care system. [3]
Unwarranted variation (or geographic variation) in health care service delivery refers to medical practice pattern variation that cannot be explained by illness, medical need, or the dictates of evidence-based medicine. It is one of the causes of low value care often ignored by health systems. [1]
Health Policy and Technology is a quarterly peer-reviewed healthcare journal that was established in 2012 and published by Elsevier on behalf of the Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine. Professor Wendy L. Currie was the founding Editor-in-Chief, from 2012 to 2017. It is one of two official journals, the other being the Postgraduate Medical Journal.