Name:
Date:
Your Instructor’s Name:
Purpose: To identify an issue that can be addressed by a nurse educator and develop a PICOT question to guide an evidence-based change project.
Directions: Use the form below to formulate a PICOT question. This includes filling in the table with information about your educational issue and your PICOT elements.
Step 1: Identify the educational issue or problem. What have you noticed in your work or school environment that isn’t achieving the desired patient or learning outcomes? What can you do about that issue? What can you change with the support of evidence in the literature?
Step 2: Select the key PICOT terms for searching the evidence. Clearly define your PICOT question. List each element P (problem, population, or problem), I (intervention), C (Comparison with other treatment/current practice), and O (Desired outcome), T (Time Frame).
Step 3: What search terms could you use in order to make sure that your search is wide enough to obtain required information but narrow enough to keep it focused? How will you narrow your search if needed?
| PICOT Question |
| What is the practice issue/problem? What is the scope of the issue? What evidence is there for the need for change? Note that this information is the basis for the introduction of your paper, due in Week 2. (~100 words; this corresponds to your description of your proposed Capstone Project in the discussion thread) |
| Formulating the PICOT question — Define each element of the question below: P– Population and problem – What is the educational or clinical issue or problem and who does it affect? I– Intervention – What evidence-based solution for the problem would you like to apply? For most nurse educator students, this will be an instructional method or strategy C– Comparison – What is another solution for the problem? Note that this is typically the current practice, no intervention at all, or an alternative solution. O– Outcome – Very specifically, how will you know that the instructional strategy or other intervention worked? For educators, this is typically a graded assessment, standardized examinations, or a learner satisfaction survey. T– Time frame – For the purpose of NR621/622, this will be short-term. You won’t have time to examine NCLEX® scores or retention of new graduates, for example. |
| Then state your project question here in the form of a PICOT question (i.e., stick to the PICOT question format: |
| Search terms you will use/How will you narrow your search? |
| Instructor comments: Approved/Date: |
