Formulating Your PICOT Question and Searching the Medical Literature-Formulating Your PICOT Question and Then Searching the Medical Literature

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this video, Aileen Farrick, a nurse practitioner and assistant director of research for cardiac electrophysiology, discusses the process of formulating a PICO question and conducting a literature search. A PICO question is a mnemonic that helps to summarize the components of a research question, including the patient population, intervention, comparison, and outcomes. Farrick provides examples of clinical concerns and observations from her own experience in cardiac electrophysiology and explains how to formulate a PICO question based on these observations. She then discusses the importance of conducting a literature search to explore existing studies and identify gaps in knowledge or areas for further study. Farrick provides practical tips for accessing medical libraries and databases, selecting appropriate search terms, and using Boolean operators to refine searches. She also emphasizes the critical appraisal of articles and discusses the hierarchy of evidence and the importance of rating the strength and quality of studies. Farrick concludes by discussing the next steps in the research process, such as writing a study proposal, seeking ethical approval, conducting the study, and publishing the results. She uses her own study comparing subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillators with conventional transvenous ICDs as an example throughout the video. However, she notes that the study had limitations and was not easily publishable due to a smaller sample size and unbalanced participant numbers.

Asset Caption

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify a problem in clinical practice that you may want to explore through research.
2. Develop a research question based on the identified clinical problem.
3. Know how to develop a PICOT question for generating your research study.
4. Know how to complete a review of the literature based on your PICOT question.

Keywords

PICO question

literature search

clinical concerns

cardiac electrophysiology

medical libraries

Boolean operators

hierarchy of evidence