PICOT Question Examples

PICOT Question Examples

Before giving PICOT Question Examples, first is to define what is a PICOT question. PICOT is an acronym to help you formulate a clinical question and guide your search for evidence. Using this format can help you find the best evidence available in a quicker, more efficient manner. The PICOT question format is a consistent “formula” for developing answerable, researchable questions. When you write a good one, it makes the rest of the process of finding and evaluating evidence much more straightforward.

What is a PICOT question?

A PICOT question is a type of research question used in evidence-based practice. The acronym “PICOT” stands for:

• P: Population/patient – age, gender, ethnicity, individuals with a certain disorder
• I: Intervention/indicator (Variable of Interest) – exposure to a disease, risk behavior, prognostic factor
• C: Comparison/control – could be a placebo or “business as usual” as in no disease, absence of risk factor, Prognostic factor B
• O: Outcome – risk of disease, accuracy of a diagnosis, rate of occurrence of adverse outcome
• T: Time – the time it takes for the intervention to achieve an outcome or how long participants are observed

An example of a PICOT question statement:

See below examples of picot questions;

PICOT (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Time) is a framework used to formulate a research question that is clear and focused. Here are some examples of PICOT questions:

1. Population: What is the effect of mindfulness meditation on depression in adult cancer patients? Intervention: Mindfulness meditation Comparison: No intervention or usual care Outcome: Reduction in depression symptoms Time: 12 weeks
2. Population: How does a low-carbohydrate diet compare to a low-fat diet in reducing weight in obese adults? Intervention: Low-carbohydrate diet Comparison: Low-fat diet Outcome: Weight loss Time: 6 months
3. Population: Does the use of incentive spirometry reduce the incidence of pulmonary complications in post-operative patients? Intervention: Incentive spirometry Comparison: No incentive spirometry Outcome: Incidence of pulmonary complications Time: During the hospital stay
4. Population: What is the effect of peer support on adherence to a healthy lifestyle among obese adolescents? Intervention: Peer support Comparison: No peer support Outcome: Adherence to a healthy lifestyle Time: 3 months
5. Population: How effective is cognitive-behavioral therapy in reducing symptoms of anxiety in patients with a generalized anxiety disorder? Intervention: Cognitive-behavioral therapy Comparison: No intervention or usual care Outcome: Reduction in symptoms of anxiety Time: 12 weeks

By answering each component of the PICOT question, researchers can formulate a clear and focused research question that guides their study design and analysis. For example, a PICOT question might be: “In hospitalized patients over 65 years of age with pneumonia (P), does the use of prophylactic antibiotics (I) compared to no prophylactic antibiotics (C) result in a lower incidence of secondary infections (O) during hospitalization (T)?”

Also read: PICOT and Evidenced-Based Practice Sample Paper

Note: Not every question will have an intervention (as in a meaningful question) or time (when it is implied in another part of the question) component.

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Evidence-Based PICOT Questions Examples

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 any specialized training and is only involved in the perioperative care of the bariatric adolescent patient.

Outcome: When the nurse is involved as one of the primary members in the multidisciplinary team approach, the bariatric adolescent patient has better continuity of care.

Time: perioperative including the 6 weeks post recovery.

PICOT Question: Does the bariatric adolescent patient undergoing gastric bypass have better continuity of care perioperatively and postoperatively when the nurse is a primary member of the multidisciplinary team versus when the nurse is a secondary member whose only role is in providing perioperative care and has no specialized training?

2. Intervention PICOT Question Examples, an Intervention example:

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 post-operative pain (Outcome) during the perioperative and recovery time? Note: The IM pain medication would be called the control group. It would be unethical to have a control group that received NO pain medication. Many times the control group means they get “business as usual!” or the current standard of care.

3. Therapy PICOT Question Examples, a non-intervention example:

What is the duration of recovery (O) for patients with total hip replacement (P) who developed a post-operative infection (I) as opposed to those who did not (C) within the first six weeks of recovery (T)?

4.  Etiology PICOT Question Examples:

Are kids (P) who have obese adoptive parents (I) at Increased risk for obesity (O) compared with kids (P) without obese adoptive parents (C) during the ages of five and 18 (T)?

5. Diagnostic PICOT Question Examples:

Is a PKU test (I) done on two-week-old infants (P) more accurate in diagnosing inborn errors in metabolism (O) compared with PKU tests done at 24 hours of age (C)? Time is implied in two weeks and 24 hours old.

6. Prevention PICOT Question Examples:

In OR nurses doing a five-minute scrub (P) what are the differences in the presence and types of microbes (O) found on natural polished nails and nail beds (I) and artificial nails (C) at the time of surgery (T)?

7. Prognosis/Prediction PICOT Question Examples:

Does telemonitoring blood pressure (I) in urban African Americans with hypertension (P) improve blood pressure control (O) within the six months of initiation of the medication (T)?

8. Meaning PPICOT Question Examples:

How do pregnant women (P) newly diagnose with diabetes (I) perceive reporting their blood sugar levels (O) to their healthcare providers during their pregnancy and six weeks postpartum (T)?