50 Nursing PICOT Question Ideas with Examples

When writing evidence-based practice nursing papers, a student is expected to formulate a PICOT clinical question that guides the nursing inquiry. Nursing students working in a clinical setting or pursuing advanced degrees must understand how to formulate correct PICOT questions to write the best papers.

The components of PICOT questions are used in clinical decision-making after comparing healthcare professionals' interventions/actions in patient care to determine which is most beneficial for the specific population.

The questions must be concise to enable the researcher to focus on the most relevant evidence to apply in nursing practice. This article contains 50 PICOT question ideas on which scholars can base their nursing research.

What does PICOT Stand for in Nursing?

The PICOT framework helps in designing a feasible question to find relevant answers to a particular clinical question. PICOT stands for:

• P: Patient, population, or problem.

One should specifically define the relevant population, patients, or the nursing problem to address, demographics, and other features relevant to answering the clinical question.

• I: Intervention

The intervention represents the types of diagnostic tests, exposures, strategies, therapies, and any other nursing interventions the researcher wishes to administer to the population.

• C: Comparison

In PICOT, comparison describes any control or alternative strategy against which to compare the intervention.

• O: Outcome

Outcomes are the consequences or changes the population experiences as a result of the intervention.

• T: Timeframe, type of question, type of study

The T in PICOT represents the timeframe allocated to implement the intervention, the type of study adopted, or the clinical domain under which the clinical question falls. Such clinical domains include intervention, etiology, diagnosis, prevention, prognosis/prediction, quality of life/meaning, and therapy.

The elements are fundamental for the definition of outstanding clinical questions that are researchable. The PICOT question must be specific and precise to facilitate a seamless research process. One should also consider the specific requirements of the nursing school to develop an argument and sufficiently support it with credible evidence.

A List of 50 Nursing PICOT Question Ideas with Examples

The PICOT question ideas discussed in this article are organized based on the clinical domains they fall under. The ideas are meant to benefit any student who is preparing to write their nursing capstone project. Common PICOT samples include:

(a). Intervention PICOT Question Ideas

In nursing inquiry, intervention refers to the treatment or exposure one intends to administer to the target population. One can formulate an intervention PICOT question focusing on the treatment of a disease, illness, or disability.

1. Use of gym and rigorous physical exercise to reduce weight gain among office working men aged 20 to 45 years.

2. The role of psychological intervention in curbing suicidal thoughts among middle-aged women with mental health issues.

3. Nurse-led presentation talks to reduce mental issues resulting from bullying in public schools.

4. Intravenous fluid intervention on patients awaiting cardiac operation in lowering blood pressure compared to no intervention.

5. Use of methods other than lithotomy among laboring women delivering in a hospital to reduce incidences of assisted deliveries compared to lithotomy position.

6. Raising the head of a bed to lower the chances of contracting pneumonia among mechanically ventilated patients in ICU compare to lying flat on the back.

7. The role of pain diaries in pain management among cancer patients.

8. Using toys as a distraction in children’s response during immunization.

9. Using a medical intervention to address childhood obesity among school-going children.

10. Implementing bedside shift reports to enhance job satisfaction among nurses in ICU.

11. Evaluating the effectiveness of peer-supported interventions among female students for three months in reducing school suicide rates compared to no intervention.

PICOT Example One:

Among intensive care unit nurses (P), does implementing bedside shift reports (I) compared to the traditional shift reports (C) improve job satisfaction (O) in three months (T)?

(b). Therapy Ideas for Nursing PICOT Questions and Example

Therapy question ideas concern understanding how to select treatments for patients to do more good than harm and are worth the costs and efforts of acquiring and administering. Therapy nursing PICOT questions examples include:

12. Use of negative pressure wound therapy on a diabetic patient with stage iii pressure ulcers compared with standard moist wound therapy.

13. Comparing the risks of developing breast cancer among women who use oral contraceptives with those who use IUDs.

14. Using yoga as a medical therapy for reducing lymphatic obstruction among women recovering from neck cancer.

15. Administering pain relief medication throughout surgery to reduce pain compared to administering the same medicine after the surgery.

16. Using soft music therapy as an effective strategy to relax patients and lower reported pain scores in Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) patients.

17. Use of intravenous fluids in reducing oxygen saturation levels during oxygen therapy among kids with urinary tract infections compared to not using the fluids.

18. Watching residents play games is an effective therapy for managing schizophrenia among patients in an inpatient psychiatric unit.

19. Using group therapy for three months to improve conversational skills among psychiatric patients with schizophrenia compared with no intervention.

20. Comparing the use of wound vacuum to treat ulcers for patients suffering from low blood pressure.

21. Does herapin injection therapy cause bruises and other injuries in COPD patients compared to those who do not receive the injection?

22. In middle-aged women, are zinc pills an effective medical therapy for preventing cold during winter compared to vitamin C?

23. Is skin-to-skin contact between mother and newborn during the first three months effective in preventing neonatal deaths compared to drying and wrapping?

PICOT Example Two:

In male adults above 50 years of age (P), does administering pain relief medication throughout the surgery (I) compared to taking the same medicine post-surgery (C) reduce pain relatively (O) six hours after the surgery (T)?

(c). Etiology Question Ideas in Nursing Research

Etiology PICOT questions address the causes/origin of a disease or a disorder and predisposing factors. Such question ideas include:

24. Are 35-year-aged men with a history of smoking at a greater risk of developing esophageal cancer?

25. Use of oral contraceptives is one of the risk factors exposing women between 24 and 39 years to blood clots compared with women of the same age group using IUDs within a period of five years.

26. Impact of infants' cup feedings during their neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay on breastfeeding success compared to tube feedings.

27. Does congenital central hypoventilation syndrome expose newborns to Hirschsprung within 48 hours after birth?

28. Comparison between physical exercise and dietary changes among pregnant women to reduce weight during pregnancy and six weeks postpartum.

29. In first-time mothers, does giving birth to premature babies expose them to postpartum depression compared to second or third mothers with premature babies?

30. Relating bullying among younger children in secondary schools to the risk of domestic violence in the next 20 years.

31. Children brought up by obese foster parents are at increased risk of developing the condition compared to those raised by foster parents without obesity.

32. Comparing the risk of acute myocardial infarction between women aged between 35 and 55 years with high blood pressure and those without.

33. The contribution of aggressive protocols comprising radiation and chemotherapy to cachexia among cancer patients compared to patients who do not receive such protocols.

PICOT Example Three:

In young children in secondary schools (P), does bullying in school (I) compared to non-bullying (C) increase their chances of propagating domestic violence (O) in six months after completing secondary school (T)?

(d). Diagnostic PICOT Question Ideas

Diagnosis PICOT questions focus on the identification or determination process for the nature and cause of disease, disorder, or injury through evaluation. Diagnosis question ideas include:

34. Evaluating the effectiveness of yearly mammograms in detecting breast cancer among women in the age group of 50 years compared with mammograms after every 3 years.

35. Comparing the effectiveness of colonoscopy combined with stool occult blood testing versus colonoscopy alone to diagnose colon cancer in men under 55 years.

PICOT Example Four:

In men aged under 55 years (P), is colonoscopy combined with stool occult blood testing (I) compared to using colonoscopy alone (C) more effective in diagnosing colon cancer (O) after every eight months (T)?

(e). Prevention Nursing PICOT Question Ideas

These questions focus on reducing the probability of developing a disease through early identification and modification of the risk factors and diagnosis of the disease through screening.

36. Effectiveness of handwashing among healthcare providers to reduce hospital-acquired infections compared to wearing gloves and masks.

37. Use of influenza vaccine among patients above 65 years to reduce the risk of contracting pneumonia compared to those who have not received the vaccine.

38. The role of 30 minutes’ exercises among adults aged 59 and above in reducing the risk of a heart attack in future.

39. The value of daily fitness and workout routines in preventing fatal heart diseases among women aged above 50 years compared to no workout or fitness activities.

40. Evaluating the impacts of school-based physical activities in reducing childhood obesity incidences within six months among upper-primary school pupils compared with no physical activity program.

41. Comparing the success of inline catheters in reducing the risks of infection post-surgery among patients compared to conventional catheters.

PICOT Example Five:

In patients above 65 years (P), can using an influenza vaccine (I) compared to not using the vaccine (C) reduce the risk of contracting pneumonia (O) during cold seasons (T)?

(f). Meaning/quality of Life PICOT Question Ideas

Quality of life/meaning PICOT question ideas form questions to address how particular individuals perceive a phenomenon.

42. The role of the pre-surgery cardiac nurse manager in reducing or preventing stress among patients awaiting cardiac operation.

43. Use of negative therapy wound pressure in speeding the healing process among elderly patients with stage iii foot ulcers compared to standard moist wound therapy.

44. Using placebo medication for three months to improve mental health status among pediatrics with mental health issues compared to using no medicine.

45. Use of psychological intervention for six weeks to increase self-confidence among patients living with chronic diseases compared to those receiving no intervention.

46. The role of daily home blood pressure monitoring during the first year of being diagnosed with hypertension in improving medication compliance among women over 55 years compared to no monitoring.

47. Monitoring blood glucose four times daily to improve control among people living with diabetes compared to not monitoring.

48. Use of work team discussions on domestic violence and abuse to reduce depression and anxiety among women between 30 and 50 years compared to no discussions.

49. The perception of reporting blood sugar levels to healthcare providers among expectant mothers newly diagnosed with diabetes throughout their pregnancy and six weeks postpartum.

50. Assessing whether prolonged use of antidepressants among women aged 30 years and above is harmful to their maternal health compared to those not using the medication.

PICOT Example Six:

In pediatrics with mental health issues (P), can taking placebo medications (I) compared to no medicine (C) improve their health status (O) in 3 months (T)?