Practice Question: Let's Take A Moment To Practice ✓ Solved

Practice Question Let's take a moment to place the practice

Let’s take a moment to place the practice question in context. A practice question is not a research question. A gap in knowledge guides the PhD researcher in writing a research question that includes making a prediction. A practice question emerges from the research you read, review, and critically appraise to articulate and support your practice problem. A clear and concise practice question is always supported by research evidence.

Alongside the research evidence that lends support to a practice question, the unique practice needs of the local practice setting is reflected in the practice question. Developing an answerable practice question requires reflection on your practice problem through the lens of your local setting. What does your practice problem look like in daily practice? Reflect on conversations with key stakeholders in practice related to the identified problem.

PICOT is a mnemonic for a formatting tool that assists with writing a clear, concise, one-sentence practice question. The formatting tool lends itself to the identification of keywords from each segment of the practice question, facilitating the search for evidence. Each element is described as follows:

  • P (Patient/Population): The relevant patients/individuals should be stated distinctly.
  • I (Intervention): The research-evidence based intervention must be clearly defined and undistorted.
  • C (Comparison): Current practice should be described as a point of reference.
  • O (Outcome): The intended outcomes must relate back to the intervention.
  • T (Timeframe): Specify the timeframe for the project which, in this case, is 8-10 weeks.

In this context, let’s exemplify the use of PICOT in crafting practice questions:

Clinical Domain: Intervention/Therapy

For example, in African-American female adolescents newly diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes (P), does medical nutrition therapy (I) as compared to a low-carbohydrate diet (C) help achieve and maintain blood glucose levels in the normal range (O) over 8-12 weeks (T)?

Clinical Domain: Etiology

Moreover, etiology questions address the causes or origins of diseases. For example: Are 30-50 year old women (P), who complete mindfulness-based stress reduction training (I) compared with those who do not (C) at risk for blood pressure levels within the normal range (O) over 8-10 weeks (T)?

Clinical Domain: Diagnosis

Questions regarding diagnosis could resemble: In women under age 50 (P), is a yearly mammogram (I) as compared with a mammogram every 3 years (C) more effective in detecting breast cancer (O)?

Clinical Domain: Prognosis/Prediction

In prognosis, a suitable formulation could be: For individuals 65 years and older (P), how does the use of an influenza vaccine (I) compared to non-vaccination (C) influence the risk of developing pneumonia (O) during the flu season (T)?

Clinical Domain: Meaning

Lastly, for meaning, you might frame the question as follows: How do women completing a 28-day treatment program for opioid addiction (P), with regular participation in a 12-step program (I) compared to those with no participation (C) perceive self-efficacy (O) during the first 8-10 weeks of sobriety (T)?

Searching for Evidence

Once a one-sentence practice question is crafted in the PICOT format, the search for evidence is initiated. The steps include identifying the searchable keywords, listing necessary information, deciding on scientific search engines, developing a search strategy, and evaluating the search results.

The process of searching for evidence is iterative and should continue throughout the design of your practice change project. Keeping a detailed record of the search strategies, including the terms used and any limits applied, is essential for clarity and replicability.

Conclusion

In conclusion, utilizing the PICOT format is instrumental in creating focused, concise, and answerable practice questions. The process encourages systematic searching for evidence, ultimately aiding in the development and support of practice problems.

References

  • Fineout-Overholt, E. (2006). Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Healthcare: A Guide to Best Practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
  • Hoffmann, T., & Bennett, S. (2004). Evidence-Based Practice Across the Health Professions. Elsevier.
  • Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2015). Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Healthcare: A Guide to Best Practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
  • Guyatt, G. H., & Rennie, D. (2015). Users' Guides to the Medical Literature: A Manual for Evidence-Based Clinical Practice. McGraw-Hill Education.
  • Scherer, L. L., & Palazzo, G. (2007). The New Political CSR: The Recent Evolution of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Context of Globalization. Journal of Business Ethics, 82(3), 475-500.
  • Staats, H. (2004). The Ethics of Globalization: A Comprehensive Approach. Globalization and Ethics, 20, 45-66.
  • Habermas, J. (1999). The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into a Category of Bourgeois Society. MIT Press.
  • Habermas, J. (2001). The Postnational Constellation: Political Essays. MIT Press.
  • Morrison, J. (2010). Business Ethics: New Challenges in a Globalized World. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice. (n.d.). Evidence-Based Practice Model. Retrieved from [link]

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