Evaluating PICO framework utilization in pharmacy resident research

National publication rates of pharmacy resident research are low, but an analysis of research design has not been conducted. The PICO (population, intervention, comparison, outcome) framework is an evidence-based method for developing sound research questions. The primary objective of this study was to determine the percentage of pharmacy resident research abstracts that included all 4 components of PICO.

This was a retrospective cohort analysis of resident research project abstracts accepted to the Great Lakes Pharmacy Residency Conference (GLPRC) between 2017 and 2019. Abstracts and resident demographic information from this time period were requested. Each abstract was analyzed for utilization of PICO components. After PICO analysis, the abstracts were stratified based on program year. Each subgroup was categorized based on the number of PICO components included and the frequency of omission for each component. Embase and PubMed were queried for subsequent publication.

A total of 1,822 abstracts were included in the analysis. All 4 PICO components were included in 59.4% of abstracts. Of the postgraduate year 1 abstracts analyzed (n = 1,388), 60.1% included all 4 PICO components, compared to 56.6% of postgraduate year 2 abstracts (n = 434). The least common component of PICO included in abstracts was a comparator (only 63.9% of abstracts included a comparator group). Overall, 6.7% of the abstracts were published as manuscripts. PICO characteristics were not significantly different between abstracts that were and were not published.

These results demonstrate that approximately 60% of research projects presented at GLPRC between 2017 and 2019 included all 4 evidence-based components that contribute to a quality study design. The use of PICO was not significantly different between training years (postgraduate year 1 vs year 2). PICO characteristics were not associated with the publication status of the abstract.