PICO(T) Questions and an Evidence-Based Approach
School of Nursing and Health Sciences, Capella University
NURS-FPX4030 Making Evidence-Based Decisions
April 16, 2022
PICO(T) Questions and an Evidence-Based Approach
The PICO(T) research framework, which includes Population/Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Time, may be used to design care practices for patients in order to produce an efficient care plan and guarantee that patients’ requirements are addressed. This article will define a practice issue involving medical errors using secondary research, use the PICO(T) process, locate sources of evidence that might address the research question, summarize key findings from articles, and discuss the significance of those key findings.
PICO(T) Questions and an Evidence-Based Approach for medical errors
The promotion of patient safety has become the most challenging practice concern for hospital-based healthcare practitioners as a direct result of the rise in the number of adverse events caused by medical errors. According to the globe Health Organization (Eslami et al., 2019) adverse events induced by hazardous treatment methods are one of the top 10 primary causes of disability and death throughout the globe. According to research, approximately half of all medical mistakes are preventable, and at least one in ten patients in developed countries experience some kind of damage as a direct consequence of receiving medical care. According to research conducted by Chen et al. (2019), the most common forms of errors that occur during the delivery of healthcare include medication administration, erroneous prescriptions, and wrong patient diagnoses. Investing in the prevention of medical errors via the use of evidence-based practice may lead to improved patient safety, improved treatment results, and significant cost savings. These benefits can be reached without sacrificing quality of care. The development of a PICOT question that is solidly formulated will encourage research that seeks to identify the EBP intervention that is most successful in lowering the rates of medical errors.
Also read: Buy Nursing PICO Project Online
PICO(T) Approach
Developing an EBP framework often begins with the formulation of a PICOT question that is both well-structured and relevant to the practice situation at hand. According to Pereira-Lima et al (2019), patients’ safety and welfare have been severely impacted in a variety of ways as a result of the growth in the rates of medical mistakes. Some of these ways include increased rates of hospital visitation, readmission, duration of hospital stay, and costs related to healthcare. The PICOT technique demands that the research question for the study identify either the population of interest or the group of individuals who will be responsible for carrying out the intervention (in this instance, the nursing staff). Step two entails specifying the specific nature of the intervention that is being assessed, which in this instance are weekly staff education sessions on ways for recognizing and reacting to medical mistakes (Escrivá Graciaet al., 2019).
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In this situation, the intervention is being evaluated for its effectiveness in reducing medical errors. In order to assess the effectiveness of the intervention, it will be compared to business as usual, both with and without a training plan for staff. As a direct consequence of this intervention, it is anticipated that the number of errors involving medicine would reduce within the first six months after its deployment.
PICOT Question: In medical staff (P), whaat is the effect of implementing staff education program (I) on medication errors (O) compared with maintaining current routine levels (C) within 1 month (T)?
Sources of Evidence
The PICOT issue, which was brought up before, is one that might potentially have a satisfying response provided for it with the aid of a great deal of various kinds of evidence. Concerning the problems that are related with medical errors and the remedies to those problems, the sources of evidence will be obtained from professional medical publications and websites that are affiliated with medical organizations. These sources will be analyzed. This will be done in order to address the problems that are associated with medical mistakes. According to Pereira-Lima et al., (2018), credible sources of medical literature on the topic of the study include MEDLINE with Full Text and CINAHL full. The databases for the American Journal of Nursing, Clinical Nurse Specialist, and Nursing Reference Centre are a few examples of other reliable resources. One of the inclusion criteria for discovering reputable and trustworthy sources in presenting a response to the PICOT investigation is papers that have been submitted to peer review and have been published in English within the previous five years. In order to provide an answer that is as accurate as possible to the PICOT question, we will only look at previously published articles that include the results of research that has been completed in its entirety.
Findings from Articles on Medical Errors
Taking action to address the lately increased safety concerns related with medication mistakes in hospital settings has been called for by a number of trustworthy and reliable sources of evidence, which have pointed out the need of doing so. Both secondary and primary data may be used in the distribution of EBP. One such main source is “Identifying medication errors in neonatal intensive care units: a two-center study,” written by Eslami et al. (2021). The work argues that the best way to lessen the occurrence of medical errors and boost patient safety is to improve communication and collaboration among members of interprofessional teams. On the other hand, Chen et al. (2019) publish a report on the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists’ recommendations for the prevention of medical mistakes in hospitals. A research that was carried out by Marufu et al. (2022) is also helpful in addressing the PICOT issue since it makes use of comparative and noncomparative sources to reach the conclusion that medication error prevention measures are the most successful when used in a hospital environment. In conclusion, the findings of a research that was carried out by Escrivá Graciaet al. (2019) showed that nurses had a limited awareness of preventative methods for medication errors. This information was thus extremely important in addressing my PICOT question.
Relevance of findings
Medical error prevention in the nursing profession is an area where all the above-mentioned factors might be considered important. Each research, however, focuses on a unique aspect of the PICOT query. While Chen et al. (2019) focus on on ASHP, Eslami et al. (2019) advocate for multidisciplinary team members to work together and communicate as the primary intervention. On the other hand, Marufu et al. (2022) provide research that shows that the best way to reduce medication mistakes is to enhance the drug usage process. On the other hand, according to my PICOT question, the research by Escrivá Graciaet al. (2019) is the most applicable and likely to provide a beneficial outcome. This study’s findings corroborate my PICOT question in that they highlight the need to educate nurses on effective methods for reducing prescription mistakes. Therefore, it encourages the development of education programs for staff with the goal of increasing their familiarity with methods for minimizing patient harm and maximizing their health and well-being.
Conclusion
The creation of a PICOT question that is both suitable and effective in guiding the research process and the successful implementation of a proposed change is an essential step in the process of evidence-based practice. The introduction of staff educational programs has been shown to be the most successful intervention in improving patient safety and wellbeing, making it an important part of the effort to reduce the number of mistakes that occur in the medical field.
References
Chen, Y., Wu, X., Huang, Z., Lin, W., Li, Y., Yang, J., & Li, J. (2019). Evaluation of a medication error monitoring system to reduce the incidence of medication errors in a clinical setting. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 15(7), 883-888. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2019.02.006
Escrivá Gracia, J., Brage Serrano, R., & Fernández Garrido, J. (2019). Medication errors and drug knowledge gaps among critical-care nurses: a mixed multi-method study. BMC health services research, 19(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4481-7
Eslami, K., Aletayeb, F., Aletayeb, S. M. H., Kouti, L., & Hardani, A. K. (2019). Identifying medication errors in neonatal intensive care units: a two-center study. BMC pediatrics, 19, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-019-1748-4
Marufu, T. C., Bower, R., Hendron, E., & Manning, J. C. (2022). Nursing interventions to reduce medication errors in paediatrics and neonates: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 62, e139-e147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2021.08.024
Pereira-Lima, K., Mata, D. A., Loureiro, S. R., Crippa, J. A., Bolsoni, L. M., & Sen, S. (2019). Association between physician depressive symptoms and medical errors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA network open, 2(11), e1916097-e1916097.https://doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.16097