In this continually progressing profession of nursing, the incorporation of evidence based practice is very important in meeting patient needs. The PICO is one of the strategies that are utilized to facilitate this practice. PICO is an initial roadmap when developing questions for research in clinical practice. The PICO framework is not just a theoretical concept; it is a working lobbying strategy that registered nurses put to use every day to make sense of the mountains of scientific research that exists out there.
In this article, we are going to focus on its description and give examples of its practical application in different cases of nurse’s work. Awareness of how to write good PICO questions to enhance patient outcomes and the profession in general.
Types of PICO Questions In Nursing
Such examples reveal how PICO questions help the nurses identify the best evidence that they can use in their clinical practice.
Clinical Practice
They can also lead nurses in clinical practice to search for the most effective approaches to managing clients. For instance, a nurse may hypothesize, ‘In elderly patients with chronic pain (Population), is the use of physical therapy (Intervention) as a treatment more beneficial than only administering drugs (Comparison) for the purpose of increasing their mobility’ (Outcome)?
Patient Care
Another area in which PICO questions are helpful is patient care. A nurse might ask for example: In patients with diabetes (Population), is there any difference in blood sugar levels (Outcome) when comparing a low-carb diet (Intervention) to a regular diet (Comparison)?
Preventive Care
Preventive care involves dealing with certain diseases without actually waiting for them to occur. An example of PICO in this area could be asking: Population: Children at risk for asthma, Intervention: Using air purifiers at home, Comparison: Not using air purifiers at home, Outcome: The number of asthma attacks: With the help of this question, the nurses can focus on possible ways of decreasing asthma attacks in children.
Health Education
Teaching patients is part of nursing although health education is limited for nurses, PICO questions will help on how the teaching is going to be done. For instance, one question could be ‘In pregnant women (Population), does attending prenatal education classes (Intervention) result in better knowledge of childbirth (Outcome) than if the women do not attend classes (Comparison)?
Nursing Interventions
Nursing care comprises the acts that are carried out by nurses in order to respond to the needs of the patients. For example, a PICO question in this type of area might be: In Surgical patients, does the use of early mobilization, (Intervention) reduce complications than normal nursing practice (Comparison) for the patient? Population- Surgical patients Outcome, Complication rate.
How to Make Better PICO Questions
This is because PICO questions aid the nurses in identifying the most effective method of dealing with the patients.
- They should begin with a real problem: Consider a situation that you witnessed with patients. What areas are you interested to learn more about?
- Be Clear About Each Part: When the different elements of PICO are named, about who it’s going to be about, what intervention you are going to attempt, what you will compare it to, and what outcome you expect, be as specific as possible. Keep It Short and Simple: Avoid including unnecessary elements. It is easier to answer when a question is framed neatly, briefly and clear.
- This involves the consideration of what needs to be changed. Change is a phenomenon that should be well understood. Is it less pain? Better health? Happier patients? It is always better to use numbers where possible. Instead of saying get better, you can opt for something like lower your blood pressure by 10 points. Re-Read Your Question: If you can still have a look at the question you asked, please take a second and read it once more. Encourage others to ask others what they think.
- Better it if you have to: The essence of this writing is to make things better if one requires to do so. There Has to Be Info Out There To Consider: If your query is niche, you will find no reply. It is also better to make it a bit broader sometimes. Keep Practicing: The more PICO questions one formulates, the easier it will be to do it.
Conclusion
The PICO framework is a key element of evidence-based nursing and helps in enhancing patients’ outcomes. Using components of the PICO approach, nurses are able to easily structure clinical questions and get to the most important details, which would help them in their search for evidence. This approach leads to proper organization and analysis of information to make better decisions to favor the patients.
The use of PICO improves the level of patient care and also helps the nurses to play an active role in the determination of their practice. It is in this sense that the present work argues that nurses are well placed to advance a culture of practice improvement and enhancement by routinely using PICO in clinical practice. Finally, it clearly shows that through application of PICO, nursing becomes more impartial and embodied, patient-oriented and containing elements of evidence-based approach to the task.
FAQs
What should the Next Question be when undertaking a PICO Assessment?
An example of a PICO assessment question could be: The question ‘’In the adult patients with chronic lower back pain; the effectiveness of physical therapy in relation to pain medication in the reduction of pain and or the improvement in mobility of the patients in three months’’ This question assist in evaluating the efficiency of PT as opposed to taking medication for the chronic lower back pain.
What is an Example of an Intervention for Children as stipulated by PICO?
An example of a PICO question for children could be: Potter & Perry’s clinical question: “In children with seasonal allergies (P), does the use of daily antihistamines (I) as compared to as needed antihistamines (C) decrease the amount and intensity of allergy symptoms (O) during the allergy season (T).”
What is a PICO Question in Nursing?
In nursing, PICO question is a focused and formatted question that seeks to direct the study and evidence-based practice. It involves breaking down a clinical problem into four components:It involves breaking down a clinical problem into four components:
- P (Population/Patient Problem): The POPULATION group of the patients or the PROBLEM under analysis.
- I (Intervention): What the patient is going to receive into their treatment or intervention plan.
- C (Comparison): The failure to perform the intervention, if an option could be recommended.
- O (Outcome): The consequence of the intervention in realization of the objectives or outcomes.
