picot questions for nursing research

Here are nursing PICO (T) questions examples to inspire your choice for your nursing paper, evidence-based paper, capstone project, thesis, or dissertation.

PICO (alternately known as PICOT) is a mnemonic used to describe the four elements of a good clinical question. It stands for: P--Patient/Problem I--Intervention C--Comparison O--Outcome. Many people find that it helps them clarify their question, which in turn makes it easier to find an answer.

According to Polit and Beck, a PICOT question assists nurses in performing a systematic inquiry of literature to identify credible, reliable, and valid evidence that can be used in solving different nursing practice-related issues that impact patient care.

By formatting your research question in a PICO(T) format you can gather evidence relevant to your patient's problem. Well-composed PICO(T) questions generally contain up to four components each represented in the acronym " PICO(T)" P=Patient or Population and Problem; I=Intervention or Indicator; C=Comparison or Control (not part of all ...

The PICOT question format is a consistent "formula" for developing answerable, researchable questions. When you write a good one, it makes the rest of the process of finding and evaluating evidence much more straightforward.

Forming Focused Question with PICO: Case Study. Case: Patient Education. You are a nurse working in a busy inpatient medical surgical unit. The patients on your unit are admitted for a wide variety of conditions: renal, GI, dermatologic, etc.

Whether they’re finishing advanced studies in nursing school or working in a professional clinical setting, registered nurses (RNs) begin their research queries using an evidence-based practice framework developed from a well-constructed PICOT question.

A well-built PICO (T) question forms the basis of a database search strategy for finding research literature. Concepts from the PICO (T) question are used to construct a comprehensive database search strategy with search terms describing each relevant component of the PICO (T).

The evidence-based practice (EBP) competencies of cultivating inquiry and formulation of Population, Intervention, Outcome, and Time (PICOT) questions are essential to quality improvement, healthcare outcomes, and the development of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) scholarly projects.

The PICOT question is a consistent “formula” for developing answerable, searchable questions that result in an effective literature search that yields the best, most relevant information. This resource will help you to write clinically specific, searchable PICO questions.