Developing PICO Questions

Determining the topic of an evaluation is one of the most important steps of the evaluation process. In the process of selecting a topic for evaluation, researchers should reflect on what information needs to be gathered and how it will be used. A PICO question can provide the foundation for this process. The PICO question requires researchers to determine the population to be studied, select the intervention that occurred or will occur (such as a new system), have a baseline with which to compare the evaluation, and finally, have a standard to measure the outcome of the project. Using a PICO question as a guideline helps ensure the evaluation is focused and effective.

In this Discussion, you generate a PICO question that corresponds to the Evaluation Plan Focus you developed last week.

To prepare:

• Develop a PICO question based on the Evaluation Plan Focus Assignment completed last week.
• Reflect on why it is important that this question be answered. Identify the "who cares?" factor.

Write a minimum of 550 words essay in APA format with a minimum of 3 references from the list provided below. Include the level one heading as numbered below:

1) Post a summary of key points (evaluation goal, viewpoint, and model) from your Evaluation Plan Focus Assignment.

2) Post your PICO question. Explain why you developed this question, and why it is important to be considered.

Required Readings

Friedman, C. P., & Wyatt, J. C. (2010). Evaluation methods in biomedical informatics (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.  Chapter 3, "Determining What to Study" (pp. 48-84)

This chapter focuses on how to identify the relevant questions to cover in an evaluation and how to ensure that the scope of the question is appropriate. It includes a description of different types of evaluations, including what they specifically focus on and the general type of questions they address.

Gschwandtner, T., Kaiser, K., & Miksch, S. (2011). Information requisition is the core of guideline-based medical care: Which information is needed for whom? Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 17(4), 713-721.  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

This article describes the construction of a comprehensive information source to be used in the development of computerized clinical practice guideline (CPG). The authors emphasize how the information source is designed to meet the informational requirements of anyone developing a CPG for any user group.

Lin, J. W., Chang, C. H., Lin, M. W., Ebell, M. H., & Chiang, J. H. (2011). Automating the process of critical appraisal and assessing the strength of evidence with information extraction technology. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 17(4), 832-838. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

The authors of this article explain a study that sought to create and evaluate a system to automatically determine a medical article's evidence level. The authors describe the accuracy of the system and speculate on the causes of errors.

Swennen, M. H. J., vander Heijden, G. J. M. G., Blijham, G. H., & Kalkman, C. J. (2011). Career stage and work setting create different barriers for evidence-based medicine. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 17(4), 775-785. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

This article describes a study that examines how a doctor's career stage and work setting are related to their perceptions of barriers to practicing evidence-based medicine (EBM). The authors also provide a framework for classifying the identified barriers.  

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.e). PICO question. Retrieved from CDN database. (NURS 6431)

This animation describes the basics of formulating a PICO question. The animation provides an example scenario of effectively generating a PICO question.

Optional Resources

Alliance for Health Reform. (2013). Health Information Technology. Retrieved from http://www.allhealth.org/issues.asp?wi=4

American Health Information Management Association. Retrieved from http://www.ahima.org/

Healthcare Information and Management Systems. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.himss.org/

Kaiser.edu. (n.d.). Health information technology. Retrieved from http://kff.org/health-reform/issue-brief/building-an-information-technology-foundation-for-health/

National Center for Biotechnology Information. (n.d.). Health services/technology assessment texts (HSTAT). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK16710/

Attachment:- Assignment.rar