Search frameworks are an aid to converting your research question into search terms that will provide useful results from a database.
There is nothing magic about a search framework (and PICO in particular), it is merely an aid to defining your search terms.
If you need to modify your search beyond the framework, do so. If you find a particular search framework does not match your research question, you do not have to use it.
PICO is the most common framework for yes/no or A/B quantitative clinical questions
Not all topics will use all four categories for search terms when interacting with databases.
For instance, if you are comparing against all other therapies (or against none) you might not have a search term for the Comparison or Control field. Alternatively, if you are not looking for a specific detailed outcome, you might not have an outcome search term.
There are also some variations of PICO using an extra category fo research terms e.g.
PICOT
PICOS
PICOC
or sometimes:
PICo - occasionally used for searching for qualitative studies
PCC
SPICE can be used suggest search terms to evaluate a service or project, mostly looking at qualitative data, and allowing some subjective judgment of benefit in relation to specific stakeholders.
Booth, A. (2006). Clear and present questions: formulating questions for evidence based practice. Library hi tech, 24(3), 355-368. https://doi.org/10.1108/07378830610692127
Booth, A. (2004). Formulating answerable questions. In A. Booth & A. Brice (Eds.), Evidence based practice for information professionals: A handbook (pp. 61-70). Facet Publishing.
SPIDER was designed for selecting more appropriate search terms for searching qualitative and mixed-methods studies for topics that did not fit well within the PICO framework categories.
ECLIPSE
ECLIPSE is used to help define search terms for health and social care management-related information.
Wildridge, V., & Bell, L. (2002). How CLIP became ECLIPSE: A mnemonic to assist in searching for health policy/management information. Health Information & Libraries Journal, 19(2), 113-115. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1471-1842.2002.00378.x
BOx the Nouns And Provide Alternative Research Terms for Each
OK, this is tongue-in-cheek, but it's a valid subset of the BUG1 technique for undergraduate subject analysis, if none of the frameworks define your topic clearly.
Write out your research topic as if you were defining it very clearly to a new junior research assistant or a colleague in a different disciplinary area. Could they explain to somebody else what your research is about?
e.g.
Does wearing slippers increase the risk of falls in the elderly
becomes
(slippers OR "slip-ons" OR footwear) AND (falls OR tripping OR accident*) AND (elderly OR aged OR senior)
Note: this particular example could be represented in PICO as:
P - elderly
I - slippers
C
O - falls
1 BUG (box, underline, glance back) technique developed by Dr Geraldine Price, Southampton University
Cowen, M., Maier, Pat, & Price, Geraldine. (2009). Study skills for nursing and healthcare students. Harlow, UK: Pearson Education.
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