PICOT question: In mechanically ventilated patients (P), how does utilization of oral care protocol (I) compare to poor oral care (C) affect the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (O) during the hospitalization period (T)?
The PICOT format for this course is an intervention question. The interventions must be nursing interventions and not medical. Step one (1) of the evidence-base practice (EBP) process is to formulate a burning PICOT question. Step two searches for the best scientific evidence (external evidence) by considering the elements of the PICOT question.
Assignment Criteria:
1. Describe the clinical or administrative problem related to the PICOT question formulated and approved in Week 1.
• Formulate the PICOT question in the intervention format
• Discuss why the problem is important to nursing practice
• Discuss the chosen intervention
• Elaborate on how the intervention may impact the stated outcome
2. Discuss two (2) barriers that a master’s prepared nurse might encounter before implementing the intervention.
3. Explore two (2) possible actions that can be used for handling those barriers.
4. Identify two (2) inclusion criteria and two (2) exclusion criteria to be used in the analysis of the evidence.
5. Identify the databases (e.g., CINAHL, Medline) and key terms used in initiating the search.
6. The scholarly paper should be in narrative format, four (4) to five (5) pages excluding the title and reference pages.
7. Include an introductory paragraph, purpose statement, and a conclusion.
8. Include level 1 and 2 headings to organize the paper.
9. Write the paper in third person, not first person (meaning do not use ‘we’ or ‘I’) and in a scholarly manner. To clarify: I, we, you, me, our may not be used. In addition, describing yourself as the researcher or the author should not be used.
10. Include a minimum of three (3) references from professional peer-reviewed nursing journals to support the paper. References should be from scholarly peer-reviewed journals (review in Ulrich Periodical Directory) and be less than five (5) years old.
