PICOT is an acronym used to help develop clinical research questions and guide you in your search for evidence:

P = Patient population

I = Intervention or issue of interest

C = Comparison of interventions or comparison of interests

O = Outcome

T = Time frame

For example, you may wish to research the effects of interrupted sleep on cognition of ICU patients 65 or older.

Using this PICOT model,

In _________(P), how does __________ (I) compared to _________ (C) influence _________ (O) over ________ (T)?

In ICU patients who are 65 or older, how does interrupted sleep (awakened one time or more in four hours) as compared to uninterrupted sleep influence the patient’s cognitive ability over 5 days?

Assignment Directions

Begin by selecting a topic in nursing or medicine that is of interest to you. Next, use PICOT to format possible research questions about that topic. Provide 3 possible PICOT research questions.

Include the following:

• Title page
• Provide a brief description of the topic and background information.
• Explain the significance of the topic to nursing practice.
• Provide 3 clearly stated PICOT questions.

Your paper should: 

• Be 2–3 pages (not including the title page and reference page)
• Use current APA format to style your paper and to cite your sources.