I need help with my PICO question for my paper.

[maryland01]

This is my PICO question I chose: can anyone help me find two articles that are either systematic reviews or random controlled trails. I only need two articles! thanks so much.

In patients discharged from the hospital (P), how do detailed discharge instructions (I)compared to not detailed discharge instructions © affect patient outcomes regardingre-admissions to the hospital (O) within 3-6 months after discharge (T)?

Your help is appreciated!

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

I think you need to more clearly define 'detailed instructions' before you'll find much. I think your question is kind of vague in that respect.

[maryland01]

Any suggestions...I think your right

[maryland01]

In CHF patients discharged from the hospital(P), how does video discharge instructions (I) compared to just written and verbal discharge instructions © affect patient outcomes regardingre-admissions to the hospital (O) within 3-6 months after discharge (T)?

[llg, PhD, RN]

I agree with the above poster. It's highly unlikely that anyone has written the types of reviews you seek on that specific question.

A common mistake beginners make when working with evidence-based practice, research, etc. is that they try to start with a "final" question and then hope that someone "out there" has written exactly what they need to go forward as they hope. Experienced people take a different approach. They start with a general topic of interest ... then go to the literature to discover what has already been written on that topic. They use that literature review to refine their basic question so that their final question/project is feasible given the literature resources that are available.

Some Evidence Based Practice models include this step. They refer to "background questions" vs "foreground questions." Your background question would be something like ... "What type of discharge preparation helps to prevent readmission?" As you explore the literature on that general topic, you can then refine your question to the classic foreground question in the PICO format of your assignment, comparing 2 types of discharge preparation and their effects on readmission.

That basic process works for a wide variety of student and professional projects.

1. Start with general topic

2. Review literature

3. Identify other necessary resources

4. Refine topic so that the project is feasible with available resources

Good luck

[maryland01]

I have been doing that all week...looking more for a PICO question centered around discharge, any suggestions of a good topic that can be easily compared

[llg, PhD, RN]

What type of literature review have you done? Have you checked sites such as the Cochrane Collaboration, Then National Guideline Clearing House, The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality? You might find some reviews there that would help you refine your topic.

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

There are so much literature on Heart Failure. This topic has been researched to death literally. I agree with llg. Did your school help you with knowing how to do a literature search? Did you seek help from a librarian? The first day of my research course was a three-hour session spent in the library with a university librarian showing us how to use electronic databases and obtaining hard copies of non-electronic full texts of journal articles.