Nr 439 Picot Question Guide

Nr 439 Picot Question Guide

The following contains PICOT question guides/templates to use to help write questions using all of the PICOT elements. Each template contains a guide that you can use to write a complete PICOT question, examples of PICOT elements, and illustrations. Review some tips and hints below to think about for each of the PICOT elements that can help create a sound clinical nursing PICOT question: P=Population of patients : Think about a group of patients you are interested in studying—identify the group by age ranges, diagnosis/disease of interest, history or length of time with the diagnosis/disease of interest, location, unit, or setting, gender type (if applicable), race (if applicable), or other identifiable characteristics such as Medicare, Medicaid, immobile, ventilated, inpatient, outpatient, etc.

I=Intervention : Consider the nursing action or intervention you are thinking that would make a difference? From your search for evidence, what is the evidence indicating that nurses can do to help improve the problem or issue you have chosen? C=Comparison : Think about comparing to the intervention of interest or the alternative such as routine/standard care. If no comparison, state not implementing the intervention or no comparison group . O=Outcome : Reflect upon what would be the measurable, relatable indicator that would demonstrate the intervention is making a difference or not? What would be the needed outcome that you could observe/check/measure? For example, “the pain is okay” would not be a measurable outcome. Rates pain level less than 3 on pain scale would be measurable. T=Timeframe : For this element, reflect on how long it would take to implement your study by collecting data or the time needed to observe to see if any changes occurred or will occur. Think about 1 month, 3 months, 6 months etc...

Use a timeframe that is realistic. Template A Among/In _________________________ (P), does ______________________ (I) (decrease/increase/impact/influence/affect/reduce/improve) _____________________ (O) compared to ______________________________ (C) over ______________________________(T)? (choose one term) Example: Among 65+ and older diabetic immobile adults in long-term care (P) , does a bedside oral care kit and checklist protocol (I) compared to routine oral care without a bedside oral care kit (C) affect the number of times oral care is completed (O) over 3 months (T) ? P=Population of patients : 65+ and older diabetic immobile adults in long-term care I=Intervention : bedside oral care kit and a checklist protocol C=Comparison : routine oral care without a bedside oral care kit O=Outcome : number of times (frequency) oral care is completed T=Timeframe : 3 months

Template B Among/In _________________________ (P), would ______________________(I) (decrease/increase/impact/influence /affect/reduce/improve )_____________________ (O) compared to ______________________________ (C) over ______________________________(T)? (choose one term) Example: In male ICU patients who are 65+ and older diagnosed with COPD (P), would the confusion assessment screening tool (CAST) (I) impact the number of early identification of delirium (O) compared to no screening tool (C) over 6 months (T)?

Template C Among/In _________________________ (P), will ______________________ (I) ( decrease/increase/impact/influence/affect/reduce/improve )_____________________ (O) compared to ______________________________ (C) over ______________________________ (T)? (choose one term) Example: Among Hispanic pregnant women between 36-40 weeks (P), will completing a lactation course (I) increase the number of breastfeeding initiations by or within 6 hours of delivery (O) compared to no lactation course (C) over 6 months?

Template D Among/In _________________________ (P), what is the effect of ______________________ (I) on ____________________ (O) compared to ___________________________ (C) over ______________ (T)? Example: In pediatric non-Hispanic Black males ages 8-18 years old with a 5 year history of type 1 diabetes (P), what is the effect of the Glucose Buddy Diabetes Tracker app (I) on maintaining HbA1C levels <7% (O) compared to the mySugar Diabetes Tracker Log app (C) over 6 months (T) ?

Paper For Above instruction

Developing a comprehensive PICOT question is fundamental for guiding evidence-based practice and clinical research in nursing. The PICOT framework—Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Timeframe—serves as a structured approach to formulate focused, answerable questions that assess the effectiveness of nursing interventions. Creating a sound PICOT question involves understanding each element's role and how to delineate them clearly within a specific clinical context. For example, identifying a target patient population with specific characteristics allows for tailored interventions. Similarly, defining measurable outcomes ensures that the impact of interventions can be accurately assessed over a realistic period. Using templates simplifies the construction process, transforming broad queries into precise questions suitable for literature review and research protocols.

Sample PICOT questions exemplify this structure. For instance, among adults aged 65 and older with mobility limitations living in long-term care, does the implementation of a bedside oral care kit and checklist protocol, compared to routine oral care without such tools, influence the frequency of oral care performed over three months? This question clearly specifies the population, the intervention, the comparison, the expected measurable outcome, and the timeframe. Such precision facilitates targeted research and effective translation into clinical practice. Developing robust PICOT questions promotes critical thinking, aligns research priorities with patient needs, and enhances the nurses' ability to evaluate intervention efficacy systematically.

By mastering PICOT question formulation, nurses and healthcare professionals can better identify gaps in practice, implement effective interventions, and improve patient outcomes. This process necessitates an understanding of evidence-based resources, the importance of specificity in question design, and the application of clinical judgment to select relevant outcomes. Ultimately, a well-structured PICOT question guides the entire research process, from literature review to implementation and evaluation, fostering a culture of continuous quality improvement in healthcare settings.

References

• Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2019). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice (4th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
• Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2017). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice (10th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
• Hopp, M. J., & West, B. W. (2020). Developing PICOT questions for evidence-based practice. Journal of Nursing Practice, 16(3), 193-198.
• Craig, J. V., & Smyth, R. L. (2012). The evidence-based practice manual for nurses. Elsevier Health Sciences.
• Sharma, S., & Kumar, S. (2018). Formulating PICOT questions: An effective way to design nursing research. International Journal of Nursing Education, 10(2), 45-49.
• National Institutes of Health. (2020). Evidence-based practice in nursing: Principles and Practice. NIH Publications.
• Yong, C. S., & Lee, S. H. (2016). Strategies for effective clinical question formulation. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 25(15-16), 2137-2145.
• Grove, S. K., Burns, N., & Gray, J. R. (2018). The practice of nursing research: Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence (8th ed.). Elsevier.
• Bloomfield, J., & Brandon, S. (2018). How to develop PICOT questions for nursing research and practice improvement. Nursing Research and Practice, 2018, 1-8.
• American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretative Statements. ANA Publication.