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Nursing 320: PICO(T) Research

What is PICO(T)?

The PICOT question format is a consistent "formula" for developing answerable clinical research questions. It is a systematic evidence-based practice (EBP) approach to patient care that focuses on making decisions based on current, best available research evidence. A good PICO(T) involves re-phrasing a clinical patient care issue in the form of a focused, searchable, and answerable question, which makes the rest of the process of finding and evaluating evidence much more straightforward. The elements of a PICO(T) are:

PICO(T) Element PICO(T) Identification

P

Patient/Population/Problem

Who is your patient or population? 

  • Age group
  • Gender
  • Race 
  • Healthcare setting
  • Healthcare Issue or problem

I

Intervention/Variable of Interest

What intervention can you as a nurse implement for your patient/population? 

  • Nursing interventions
  • Therapies
  • Alternative/complementary/holistic therapies
  • Medication administration/management
  • Pharmacologic interventions
  • Non-pharmacologic interventions 
  • Procedures
  • Patient education techniques

C

Comparison

What is the alternative to your plan?

  • No treatment
  • Different type of treatment

O

Outcome

What is the outcome or optimal effect of the intervention?

  • Prevention/prophylaxis of
  • Reduction
  • Decreased rate
  • Patient outcomes
  • Quality of life
  • Patient safety
  • Knowledge

T

Time

How long would it take to reach a outcome? 

  • Preoperative/perioperative/postoperative period
  • Hospital length of stay
  • Patient's lifespan
  • Patient's treatment duration
  • Recovery period

 

PICO(T) Exercise

 

1. Among staff nurses on a medical-surgical unit, does implementing bedside shift reports lead to greater satisfaction with care when compared to traditional shift change reports at the nurses station?

 

 

2. For adolescents with type II diabetes does the use of telehealth consultations compared to in-person consultations improve blood sugar control?

 

 

3. Among BSN students, does taking the NCLEX within 2 months of graduating result in a higher pass rates when compared to sitting for the exam later?

 

 

4. In elderly diabetic patients with stage III foot ulcers, does negative pressure wound therapy lead to improved wound healing when compared to standard moist wound therapy?