PICOT is an acronym used to help develop clinical research questions and guide you in your search for evidence. Finding the right answers requires the right questions. The PICOT format will help you construct questions that will likely lead to effective searches, the best available evidence of interventions, and the meaningfulness of patient experiences.
P = Patient population
I = Intervention or issue of interest
C = Comparison of interventions or comparison of interests
O = Outcome
T = Time frame (this element is not always included)*
For example, you may wish to research the effects of interrupted sleep on cognition of ICU patients 65 or older.
Using this PICOT model,
In __________(P), how does __________ (I) compared to _________ (C) influence _________ (O) over ________ (T)?
In ICU patients who are 65 or older, how does interrupted sleep (awakened one time or more in four hours) as compared to uninterrupted sleep influence the patient’s cognitive ability over 5 days?
Questions of meaningfulness and effectiveness relate to how people experience an intervention or phenomenon.
What is the effectiveness of using a turn schedule (I) versus an audible public address reminder (C) on the incidence of pressure ulcers (O) in elderly patients in LTAC who require turning (P)?
*Not all studies will have a time frame. This is optional to include as part of your PICOT. Assignment Directions
Select a topic in nursing that is of interest to you.
Use PICOT to format a possible research question about that topic.
Create one possible PICOT research question.
Find one quantitative or qualitative peer-reviewed research article related to your nursing topic that was published within the last 5 years. Reminder: All peer-reviewed research articles have methods, discussion, and results sections.
Upload the article with your paper in PDF format. This source can be used again in the Week 4 article assignment if it meets the criteria.
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