Picot Questions examples | How To Develop a Pico Nursing Question

A student will likely be asked to develop PICOT questions in the nursing and clinical fields. As a result, a nursing student should understand this concept. Nonetheless, the majority of students struggle with this aspect. As a result, they frequently seek assignment help services to complete this task.

Despite numerous do my assignment services available online, students are still challenged to find legit assignment help websites for developing and answering PICOT questions. Most students are left wondering, “What is a Picot question, and why does it matter?”

Picot in Nursing Practice

The term PICOT question refers to a specific formula developed to assist nursing students in answering comprehensive and researchable questions. Most students do not analyze what a Picot question entails; they struggle to answer the research questions. As a result, if you want to nail your nursing research questions, you must first create ideal Picot questions.  

Well-crafted Picot questions will simplify the process of answering the issues. They will also help you obtain the clinical evidence you require. After understanding a Picot question, we can move on to the next aspect of this ‘formula,’ which is what PICOT stands for. On the other hand, PICOT is an abbreviation, and its meaning answers the question, ‘What does Picot stand for in evidence-based practice?’ It is an acronym for:

P: Represent the population

It could be people, ethnicity, or age suffering from a specific condition or disorder.

I: Intervention (Variable of Interest)

It denotes risk behaviour, infection exposure, or a prognostic factor.

C: The control or comparison

This refers to a person who has no traces of the disease in question or lacks the risk factor or Prognostic factor B.

O:Outcome

These outcomes could be the risk of infection or condition, the level of accuracy of a diagnosis, or the rate of occurrence of an adverse effect.

T: Time

This is the total time the participants have been observed or the time it has taken to achieve the outcome.

Types of PICOT Questions

There are different types of picot questions. This guide has provided you with the following 5major picot questions;

1) Intervention or a topic of interest

These questions are designed to aid in determining which treatment produces the best results. These kinds of inquiries can be phrased as follows:

How does hourly rounding (I) compare to rounding every 6 hours (C) affect the number of new falls (O) in a group of men who are highly vulnerable to falls (P)?

These are some best examples of PICOT questions for falls.

2) The Prognosis

These questions are used in the following scenarios

Used to determine the potential complications from a specific condition or the clinical course over a particular period. The following is an example of an intervention PICOT question:

In a family of six with a history of cardiovascular disease (P), how does the decision to participate in a nutrition program (I) versus not participating in the program (C) affect the healthy food consumption trend (O) after eight months (T)?

3) Diagnostic Test or 3. Diagnostic Test or Diagnosis

These are not the same as the intervention or prognosis questions. They are designed to assist in determining which test is appropriate.

More dependable in the diagnosis of a specific disease. For example, in a group of adults who are thought to have.

Is the A1C (I) more accurate in diagnosing type 2 diabetes (P) than fasting plasma glucose (C)?

4) Etiology

These are the inquiries.

Questions identify the most critical causes or risk factors for a specific disease or condition. As an example of an etiology-focused problem, consider the following:

Are children (P) who lead sedentary lifestyles (I) more likely to be obese (O) after eight months (T) than those who do not (C)?

5) Meaning

These questions are designed to assist the researcher or investigator gain a better understanding of the significance of the experience to one person, a group, or the larger community.

An excellent example of such a question is as follow;

How do women (P) who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure (I) perceive their ability to function (O) in an environment that triggers them (T)?

Examples of Nursing PICOT Question Ideas

Assume your instructor or professor has asked you to create PICO question examples in the emergency nursing field or another situation. Would you know how to do it, or would you choose to buy online safe and fast? Here are some nursing Picot question examples to help you think about how to phrase the questions:

PICOT question 1

Is the Wong-Baker Pain FACES Rating Scale more accurate in assessing the child’s dimension of torment in 6 months when compared to the Child Medical Fear?

Population:  Children who are hospitalized?

Intervention: The Wong-Baker Pain FACES Rating Scale

Control: The Child Medical Fear Scale 

Outcome:  Torment on a child’s level

Time frame: 6 months

PICO Question 2

Is a 45-degree head-of-bed height, as opposed to a 20-degree size, more effective in reducing the frequency of ventilated-related pneumonia within eight months in ventilated patients?

Population:  Ventilated patients

Intervention: A 45-degree head-of-bed height.

Control: 20 degrees

Intervention: Reduced occurrence of ventilated-related pneumonia as a result of the intervention.

Time frame: 8 months

PICOT Question 3:

How does the use of an influenza vaccine, compared to those who have not received the vaccine, affect the risk of developing pneumonia during flu season in patients 65 and older?

The population: Patients aged 65 and above.

Intervention: Influenza vaccine

Control: Non-vaccinated patients aged 65 and up were used as a control group.

Result: Development of Pneumonia.

Time: flu season

PICO Question 4

What is the recovery period for total hip replacement patients who developed a postoperative infection versus those who did not get it within the first six weeks of recovery?

Population: Patients undergoing total hip replacement

Intervention: The emergence of a postoperative infection

Control: Patients who did not have total hip replacements served as controls.

Time: required for recovery

Timeframe: The first six weeks of recovery

All of these PICOT questions cover a wide range of topics. One of the issues students frequently encounter when developing PICOT questions is ulcer prevention. To assist you in creating ideal PICOT questions for preventing ulcers, here is an example of a PICOT question for preventing pressure ulcers:

What is the effect of enzymatic debridement of non-viable tissue on the healing rate of pressure ulcers in adults after one year compared to sharp debridement?

Population: Adults are patients.

Intervention: Enzymatic debridement of non-viable tissue is used as an intervention.

Control: Sharp debridement is used for control.

Outcome: The rate at which pressure ulcers heal.

Time: 1 year

Here’s an example of a PICO question on the same subject:

Would using an evidence-based checklist help prevent the progression of pressure ulcers in adult Med-Surge patients?

Population: Adult medical-surgery patients

Intervention: Checklist for treating pressure ulcers as an intervention

Management Control: Traditional Management

Outcome: A reduced ulcers that develop or progress.

What is an example of a PICOT Question?

If you have been asked to create a PICOT question in the field of nutrition, here are some examples of how you should structure your statement:

In 13 months, how effective is the consumption of low glycemic index foods at reducing energy intake and promoting weight loss in adults?

Patient: Adults 

Intervention:  Consumption of foods with a low glycemic index as an intervention

Control: There is no comparison in terms of.

Outcome: Energy intake is reduced, and weight loss is encouraged.

Time frame: 13 months

How effective is acupuncture in improving mobility in elderly male stroke patients over two years compared to standard stroke therapy?

Patient: Aged adult.

Intervention: Acupuncture is used as an intervention.

Control: Standard stroke therapy is used as a control.

Outcome: The elderly male stroke patients’ mobility has improved due to the treatment.

Timespan: 2 years

How to Develop a PICOT Statement and Literature Search

Creating PICOT statements is the same as creating a PICOT question. As previously stated, a student must complete a query that includes the patient, intervention, control, outcome, and time frame. After formulating the PICOT question, one can conduct a literature search to help answer it. The PICOT question requires students to use empirical and scientific sources related to nursing.

When looking for this literature, it is critical first to examine the current sources in the theme in which the question is posed. For example, if your PICOT question falls under the cardiovascular health theme, you must look for current sources on cardiovascular health. Aside from considering the age of the sources, it is critical to assess the material’s dependability. Some sources contain incorrect information, which may lower the credibility of your work. As a result, only use reliable sources. Books, journal articles, health websites, and nursing articles are excellent resources for questions.

What is a PICO Question? How do you Develop One?

A PICOT and PICO questions are similar. However, PICO does not include time differences. PICO question has the patient or population aspect and the intervention, control, and outcome. When students are asked to create a PICO question, they frequently overlook some critical components of a good Picot question. As a result, they fail the task and are left wondering, “What are good PICO questions?” and “How do you develop them?”

Well, that was pretty straightforward. The Initial Step is to identify the broad question you want to answer. For example, consider the question, “Is cardiopulmonary resuscitation effective?”

The general question gives you an idea of the structure of your PICOT question. After developing the general question, assess the various aspects of a PICO question. They include the following;

P – This is the patient or the target population. We have not identified the specific patient undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation in our case. So, in this question, try to think about who you might be able to target. For example, you could choose to target children aged 5 to 10, a hospitalized group, or people in a specific health cohort, such as those with asthma or diabetes.

I – This is an abbreviation for intervention. Our question lacks an intervention; therefore, we must include one. We can, for example, choose a ‘hands-only’ intervention.

C – This is the command. It will help if you look for a comparison factor to include the control in your PICO question. Look for a method that can be compared to the hands-only process. We can use the hands and breathing technique as our control in our case.

O – This is the result. Here, we must define what we mean by “effective cardiopulmonary resuscitation.”

After completing these steps, we have a fully formed PICO question. Our PICO question would be as follows:

What are the Types of PICO Questions?

PICO questions are classified into several types. They are as follows:

1) Therapy or intervention questions are used to determine the best intervention that can lead to the best outcome.

2) Questions about etiology that aid in determining the underlying causes or risk factors of a condition

3) The diagnosis questions help determine accurate and precise diagnosis methods for a particular condition.

4) The outcome questions – Helps in determining the outcomes of a particular intervention.

Examples of PICO questions and pediatric PICO questions:

PICO Question 1:

Is turmeric tea more effective than Plaque nil at reducing joint pain in adult patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematous?

Patient: Patients suffering from Systemic Lupus Erythematous

Intervention: Turmeric tea as an intervention

Control: Plaque nil is a pesticide (standard drug therapy)

Outcome: Joint pain is reduced as a result of this treatment.

PICO Question 2:

Is the dimer assay more accurate than ultrasound at ruling out deep vein thrombosis?

Population: Adults.

Intervention: D-dimer assay intervention

Control: Ultrasound

 Result: The result is a more accurate diagnosis of DVT

How do you answer a PICO QUESTION?

Answering PICO questions is challenging for college learners. Students frequently fall into the trap of providing general or ambiguous responses. As a result, you will find them omitting critical aspects in their answers in such a case. So, to accurately answer a PICO question, you should do the following:

1st Step

To understand the problem, read it. Before you begin writing the answer to your question, make sure you break it down to identify its various parts. Dissect the situation and determine the patient or population of interest, the intervention, the control, and the outcome. A control may be missing in some cases. As a result, if you are not careful, you may end up giving comparison answers when there is no control to compare to.

2nd Step

Gather the research materials from which you will obtain clinical information. Sometimes students fail to answer these questions because they do not know what sources to use to develop or acquire empirical evidence. As a result, they rely on inaccurate sources that provide untrustworthy information.

3rd Step

Invest time in conducting research. Most students mistake rushing through the PICO questions, a common blunder. This is usually when a student completes an assignment at the last minute. You may misinterpret the situation in such a hurry, resulting in irrelevant, ambiguous, and general responses. It is always necessary for students to plan out when they will conduct their research and write their assignments.

4th Step

If you are unsure how to structure your responses, seek assistance. Some students may analyze a question and determine what it requires. The difficulty arises when they are structuring their response. They may begin with weak or general points that confuse the reader. As a result, they miss out on explaining the critical point. PICO questions necessitate that students provide detailed and well-formatted responses. So, if you’re not sure how to proceed, talk to your instructor or a colleague.

5th Step

Use the correct formatting style. Citing is one of the most challenging aspects of a student’s academic life. Most students have been victims of incorrect citations, plagiarism, and format mixing. We are all aware that any citation error can not only make your work appear duplicated but it can also lower the quality of your work. As a result, when answering the questions, take your time and double-check how to cite various materials. To avoid plagiarism, distinguish between quoting and paraphrasing.

In summary

The bottom line is that developing either the PICO or the PICOT questions is very simple. This precise and step-by-step guide will teach you how to write a pico question for nursing class.