Once you have a PICOT question, break it down into searchable keywords, also known as synonyms, for a database search. See our Develop a Search Strategy guide for more information about Drafting Your Search, including using truncation, wildcards, parentheses, and phrase searching with quotation marks.
Example keywords:
| Patient/Population/Problem |
"chronic diseases" |
OR |
"chronic conditions" OR "long-term illness" OR "long-term conditions" |
| Intervention |
"nurse-led discharge education" |
OR |
"discharge education" OR "nurse-led discharge education" OR "nurse-led discharge intervention*" OR "nurse-led discharge planning" |
| Outcome |
"readmission rates" |
OR |
"readmissions" OR "re-hospitalization" OR "re-hospitalisation" |
Synonym Tips
- When creating a set of keywords, note down all the terms you have heard or seen for a specific condition, procedure, or intervention.
- Consider alternate spellings of words, as valuable interventions may come from research published in countries such as Australia or the UK that use different spellings for words such as hospitalization (spelled hospitalisation in those parts of the world).
- As you search databases for information, note other keywords that you can add to your search.
- Check the CINAHL headings to see which word or phrase the database uses for that condition, population, or concept.
- Keep a record of your synonyms, search strings, and the databases you have used to avoid replicating searches you have already completed.
