Posted: November 8th, 2016

Conducting a literature search for your PICOT question.

Week 2-course project

Course Project: Introduction to Course Project Evidence-based practice involves much more than reading nursing periodicals regularly. Nurses can take a more proactive approach to evidence-based practice by identifying authentic problems and concerns and then using that to guide their inquiries into current research. In this way, nurses can connect the results of relevant research studies to their nursing practice. For the Course Project, you identify and apply relevant research to a specific nursing topic or problem. You begin by formulating an answerable question relevant to nursing and evidence-based practice.

In the later weeks of this course, you continue the Course Project by conducting a literature review and then determining how the evidence from the literature can be applied to nursing practice. Before you begin, review the Course Project Overview document in this week’s Learning Resources. Note: This Course Project will serve as the Portfolio Assignment for the course.

In addition to submitting portions of this Project in Weeks 2 and 5, you will turn in all three deliverables in Week 10. Course Project: Part 1—Identifying a Researchable Problem One of the most challenging aspects of EBP is identifying the answerable question. —Karen Sue Davies Formulating a question that targets the goal of your research is challenging but essential. The question plays a crucial role in all other aspects of the research, including determining the research design and theoretical perspective to be applied, which data will be collected, and which tools will be used for analysis.

It is, therefore, essential to take the time to ensure that the research question addresses what you actually want to study. Doing so will increase your likelihood of obtaining meaningful results. In this first component of the Course Project, you formulate questions to address a particular nursing issue or problem.

You design your questions by using the PICOT model—patient/population, intervention/issue, comparison, and outcome—outlined in the Learning Resources. To prepare: Review the article, “Formulating the Evidence-Based Practice Question: A Review of the Frameworks,” found in the Learning Resources for this week.

Focus on the PICOT model for guiding the development of research questions. Review the section beginning on page 71 of the course text, titled “Developing and Refining Research Problems” in the course text, which focuses on analyzing the feasibility of a research problem. Reflect on an issue or problem you have noticed in your nursing practice. Consider the significance of this issue or problem. Generate at least five questions relating to the issue you have identified. Use the criteria in your course text to select the most appropriate question regarding significance, feasibility, and interest. Be prepared to explain your rationale.

Formulate a preliminary PICO question—one that is answerable—based on your analysis. What are this question’s PICO variables (patient/population, intervention/issue, comparison, and outcome)? Note: Not all of these variables may be appropriate to every question. Be sure to analyze which are and are not relevant to your specific question. Using the PICOT variables you determined for your question, develop a list of at least ten keywords that could be used when conducting a literature search to investigate current research.

To complete: Write a 3- to 4-page paper that includes the following:

A summary of your area of interest, an identification of the problem you have selected, and an explanation of the significance of this problem for nursing practice. The five questions you have generated and how you analyzed them for feasibility. Your preliminary PICOT question and a description of each PICOT variable relevant to your question. At least 10 possible keywords that could be used when conducting a literature search for your PICOT question and a rationale for your selections.