PICOT Question Examples: Defining PICOT Question

PICOT Question Examples: Defining PICOT Question

Before providing examples of PICOT questions, it is essential to understand what a PICOT question entails. PICOT is an acronym used to structure a clinical question and guide the search for evidence. Adhering to this format facilitates the identification of the best available evidence in a quicker and more efficient manner. The PICOT question format offers a consistent “formula” for developing questions that can be answered through research. Crafting a well-constructed PICOT question streamlines the process of locating and evaluating evidence.

P: Population/patient – Refers to specific characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity, or individuals with a particular disorder.

I: Intervention/indicator (Variable of Interest) – Refers to the exposure to a disease, risk behavior, or prognostic factor.

C: Comparison/control – Can involve a placebo or “business as usual” scenario, indicating the absence of a disease, risk factor, or prognostic factor B.

O: Outcome – Represents the risk of disease, accuracy of diagnosis, or rate of occurrence of adverse outcomes.

T: Time – Refers to the duration it takes for the intervention to achieve an outcome or the period during which participants are observed.

Note: Not every question will necessarily include an intervention (as in a meaning question) or a time component (if implied in another part of the question).

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Examples of Evidence-Based PICOT Questions

1. PICOT Question:

Population: Bariatric adolescents considering or undergoing gastric bypass surgery.

Intervention: The nurse’s role as a primary member of the multidisciplinary team regarding perioperative care of the bariatric adolescent patient.

Comparison: The nurse’s role as a secondary member of the multidisciplinary team without specialized training, limited to perioperative care of the bariatric adolescent patient.

Outcome: Bariatric adolescent patients experience better continuity of care when the nurse functions as one of the primary members in the multidisciplinary team.

Time: The perioperative period, including the 6 weeks post-recovery.

2. PICOT Question:

Does the continuity of care for bariatric adolescent patients undergoing gastric bypass improve when the nurse assumes a primary role in the multidisciplinary team, compared to being a secondary member with no specialized training, solely responsible for perioperative care, during the perioperative and postoperative period?

3. Intervention PICOT Question Examples:

In adult patients with total hip replacements (Patient population), how effective is PCA pain medication (Intervention of interest) compared to prn IM pain medication (Comparison intervention) in controlling postoperative pain (Outcome) during the perioperative and recovery time? Note: The IM pain medication serves as the control group, representing the standard of care.

4. Therapy PICOT Question Examples (Non-intervention example):

What is the duration of recovery (Outcome) for patients with total hip replacement (Population) who developed a post-operative infection (Intervention) as opposed to those who did not (Comparison) within the first six weeks of recovery (Time)?

5. Etiology PICOT Question Examples:

Are kids (Population) with obese adoptive parents (Intervention) at an increased risk for obesity (Outcome) compared to kids (Population) without obese adoptive parents (Comparison) between the ages of five and 18 (Time)?

6. Diagnostic PICOT Question Examples:

Is a PKU test (Intervention) performed on two-week-old infants (Population) more accurate in diagnosing inborn errors in metabolism (Outcome) compared to PKU tests done at 24 hours of age (Comparison)? Time is implied in two weeks and 24 hours old.

7. Prevention PICOT Question Examples:

In OR nurses doing a five-minute scrub (Population), what are the differences in the presence and types of microbes (Outcome) found on natural polished nails and nail beds (Intervention) versus artificial nails (Comparison) at the time of surgery (Time)?

8. Prognosis/Prediction PICOT Question Examples:

Does telemonitoring blood pressure (Intervention) in urban African Americans with hypertension (Population) improve blood pressure control (Outcome) within six months of initiating the medication (Time)?

9. Meaning PICOT Question Examples:

How do pregnant women (Population) newly diagnosed with diabetes (Intervention) perceive reporting their blood sugar levels (Outcome) to their healthcare providers during their pregnancy and six weeks postpartum (Time)?