Developing a PICOT Statement for Evidence-Based Nursing Practice

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Sep 10, 2025

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Follow these guidelines when completing each component of the assignment. Contact your course faculty if you have questions.

While many different models for evidence-based practice (EBP) exist, a core methodology is shared within each. Central to EBP models is the review of scholarly sources to appraise the quality of evidence available regarding an identified practice issue or intervention. To guide the process, the development of a PICOT statement is often the first step.

A PICOT statement includes a brief description of the problem and population impacted, intervention, comparison, outcome, and anticipated timeframe to better understand the issue. This step provides clarity and direction as the critique of evidence from scholarly literature is initiated. The PICOT statement will be used in future assignments in this course.

General instructions

Download the Week 3 PICOT Worksheet Template Download Week 3 PICOT Worksheet Template Open this document with ReadSpeaker docReaderto complete this assignment. Use of this template is required. If the template is not used, a 10% deduction will be applied. See the rubric. Save the template and include your name in the file name.
Complete the PICOT Worksheet Template using the practice issue you identified in the week 1 discussion.
Follow APA grammar, spelling, word usage, and punctuation rules consistent with formal, scholarly writing.
Use APA in-text citations and complete references to support your writing.
Abide by Chamberlain University’s academic integrity policy.

Include the following sections (detailed criteria listed below and in the grading rubric).

Practice Problem
1. Using the practice problem identified in the Week 1 discussion, summarize your practice problem in 2-3 sentences.
2. Explain why the issue/concern is important to nurse practitioner practice.
3. Provide an in-text citation from one scholarly source to support your writing.
PICOT Elements: Discuss each of the following PICOT elements in one or two sentences.
1. P-Population:
  1. What is the nursing practice concern or problem and whom does it affect? Be specific and narrow down your population. The population should be client-focused.
2. I–Intervention:
  1. What evidence-based solution for the problem would you like to apply?
  2. Provide an in-text citation from one scholarly source to support your writing.
3. C–Comparison:
  1. What is another solution to the problem? This is typically the current practice, an alternative solution, or no intervention.
4. O–Outcome:
  1. How will you know the intervention worked?
  2. How will you measure the outcome?
  3. The outcome must be measurable from a baseline.
5. T–Timeframe:
  1. What is the timeframe or the target completion date?
PICOT Question: Write a PICOT question using standard formatting: In _____ (P), how does _____ (I) compared to _____ (C) affect _____ (O) within _____ (T)?
1. Use the standard PICOT format and label each element.
  1. P-Population
  2. I-Intervention
  3. C-Comparison
  4. O-Outcome
  5. T-Timeframe
Keywords: Identify keywords for each element of the PICOT question that could be used to support a literature search. Use Appendix B from Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt (2023) for guidance.
1. P =
2. I =
3. C =
4. O =
5. T =

Struggling with where to start this assignment? Follow this guide to tackle your assignment easily!

Step 1: Download & Prepare the Template

Go to the course page and download the Week 3 PICOT Worksheet Template.
Save it to your computer and rename it with your name included (e.g., Week3_PICOT_Linus.docx).
You must use this template; otherwise, there’s a 10% deduction.

Step 2: Practice Problem (2–3 sentences)

Restate the practice problem you identified in Week 1.
Keep it clear, concise, and client-focused.
Explain why this problem is important to nurse practitioner practice.
Support your statement with 1 scholarly source (APA in-text citation).

✅ Example structure:
“Medication nonadherence among adults with hypertension leads to poor blood pressure control and increased risk of stroke. This issue is significant for nurse practitioners because it directly impacts patient safety and long-term health outcomes (Author, Year).”

Step 3: PICOT Elements

Write 1–2 sentences for each element:

P (Population): Who is affected? Be specific (age group, condition, setting).
I (Intervention): What evidence-based solution will you test? Add 1 scholarly citation.
C (Comparison): What’s the alternative solution/current practice/no intervention?
O (Outcome): How will you measure success? (Use measurable indicators).
T (Timeframe): What’s the realistic timeframe to evaluate the outcome?

Step 4: PICOT Question

Write it in the required format:

In [P], how does [I] compared to [C] affect [O] within [T]?

Then, list each element clearly:

Step 5: Keywords

Identify keywords for each PICOT element. These will help when searching literature.

Example:

P = hypertensive adults, hypertension, patients with high blood pressure
I = medication adherence programs, patient education, reminder systems
C = standard care, no intervention
O = blood pressure control, adherence rates, reduced hospitalizations
T = 6 months, 12 months

Step 6: APA & Writing Quality

Follow APA 7th edition for citations and references.
Check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Ensure writing is formal and scholarly.

Step 7: Final Review

Confirm you answered all sections in the template.
Make sure you included at least two scholarly sources (one for problem, one for intervention).
Double-check for academic integrity compliance.

⚡Tip: Keep each answer brief and focused; this is a worksheet, not a long essay.

Would you like me to create a sample PICOT statement (using a common nursing issue like medication adherence, fall prevention, or infection control) so you have a concrete example to follow?

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