Forming Focused Questions with PICO: PICO Examples

Practice writing out PICO components and then forming a focused question about one of the case studies below. Choose one or several that interest you.

Cancer Care and Peer Support

You have read that peer support interventions help individuals and families affected by cancer across the care continuum from prevention through survivorship and end-of-life care. You wonder about the characteristics of peer support programs and how peer support programs have been used to reduce disparities and barriers to care.

Open to check your PICO analysis of the scenario for cancer care.

P: individuals and families affected by cancer
I: peer support programs
C: none
O: reduced disparities and barriers to care

For individuals and families affected by cancer, how have peer support programs been used to reduce disparities and their barriers to cancer care? What are the characteristics of peer support programs (e.g. who provides the support)?

Note that at times you may have several questions you want to address regarding your topic. Scoping reviews allow for this type of flexibility.

P: oncology nurses
I: cultural awareness
C: none
O: improved care of patients with limited English proficiency and increased participation in decision-making

For oncology nurses, how does their cultural awareness affect both the care of patients with limited English proficiency and the patients’ participation in the decision-making process?

P: laboring women delivering in a hospital
I: positions other than the lithotomy position
C: lithotomy position
O: decreased incidence of assisted deliveries

In laboring women delivering in the hospital, do positions other than lithotomy position lead to a decreased incidence of assisted deliveries?

P: mechanically ventilated ICU patients
I: semi-fowlers position
C: supine position
O: lower incidence of nosocomial pneumonia

In mechanically ventilated ICU patients, does positioning the patient in semi-fowlers result in a lower incidence of nosocomial pneumonia when compared to the supine position?

P: hospital nurses
I: using antibacterial foam
C: hand washing with soap and water
O: decreased bacteria count

P: Staff med-surg nurses
I: implementation of bedside shift reports
C: shift change reports at the nurses station/standard practice
O: greater satisfaction with care

P: Infants in the NICU
I: cup feeding throughout the hospital stay
C: tube feedings throughout the hospital stay
O: greater reported success with breastfeeding post-discharge

P: BSN students
I: Sitting for the NCLEX within 2 months of graduation
C: Sitting for the NCLEX after 2 months from graduation
O: Higher pass rates

P: adult females
I: taking daily vitamin C or zinc supplements
C: no intervention
O: incidence of the common cold

P: PACU patients
I: soft music as an adjunct to standard care
C: standard care alone
O: lower reported pain scores

P: young children
I: distraction techniques during immunization
C: no intervention
O: lower pain scores rated by the Faces pain scale

P: Inpatient chronic schizophrenia patients
I: social skills group training sessions
C: standard care
O: increased conversational skills as evidenced by greater number of interactions with peers

P: adolescents
I: a peer-led STI prevention class
C: a nurse-led STI prevention class
O: greater client participation and satisfaction

P: COPD patients receiving prophylactic heparin
I: heparin injection duration of thirty seconds
C: heparin injection duration of ten seconds
O: decreased circumference of bruising

P: pregnant high-school adolescents
I: nurse home visits adjunct to in school interventions
C: in school interventions alone
O: decreased drop out rate

P: elderly diabetic with stage III foot ulcers
I: negative pressure wound therapy
C: standard moist wound therapy
O: improved wound healing as measured by pressure ulcer grading system guidelines