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)*
Assignment Directions
- **MY NURSING TOPIC IS Medication Errors: Distractions and Interruptions**
- 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.
Include the following:
- Title page
- Provide a brief description of the topic and background information (see page 37 of your textbook). You can use your text, your peer-reviewed journal source, or the EBP care sheets in CINAHL or Nursing Reference Center Database.
- Explain the significance of the topic to nursing practice (see chart on page 37 of your textbook). Background information can be found in journal articles in the introduction section. Results and conclusions will speak to significance of the topic. The EBP care sheets may have sources for you to choose from.
- Provide 1 clearly-stated PICOT question.
- Include 1 peer-reviewed journal source related to your topic.
- The chosen topic and PICOT will be used for your Week 9 poster assignment. It will also guide your article searches in Week 4 on which you will complete appraisals in Week 6.
Your paper should:
- Be 2–3 pages (not including the title page and reference page)
- Use current APA format to style your paper and to cite your source.