PICOT Questions for Scholarly Project
PICOT Sample Questions for Scholarly Project
PICOT is a framework used to help formulate a clear and specific research question for a scholarly project. PICOT stands for:
P (Population): Who or what is the focus of the study?I (Intervention or exposure): What is being studied or tested?C (Comparison or control): What is being compared to or used as a control?O (Outcome): What is being measured or observed?T (Time): How long is the study or intervention?Here are a few examples of PICOT questions that could be used for a scholarly project:
Example 1: In Elderly patients living in long-term care facilities (P), how effective are physical therapy interventions (I) compared to traditional exercise therapy (C) in improving mobility and function (O) in 12 weeks (T).
P: Elderly patients living in long-term care facilitiesI: Physical therapy interventionsC: Traditional exercise therapyO: Improved mobility and functionT: 12 weeks
Example 2: In adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (P), how effective is medication treatment with Methylphenidate (I) compared to behavioral therapy (C) in reducing symptoms (O) in ADHD  for 6 months (T)
P: Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)I: Medication treatment with MethylphenidateC: Behavioral therapyO: Reduction in symptoms of ADHDT: 6 months
Example 3: Practice using the sections below
P: Individuals with type 2 diabetesI: Education program on self-management techniquesC: Usual care (no education program)O: Improved diabetes control as measured by HbA1c levelsT: 6 monthsExample 4: Practice using the sections below
P: Patients with breast cancerI: Telehealth follow-up careC: In-person follow-up careO: Quality of life and satisfaction with careT: 12 months
Example 5: Practice using the sections below
P: Hospitalized patients with pneumoniaI: Implementing an evidence-based practice bundleC: Usual careO: Reduction in hospital readmissions for pneumoniaT: 12 months
Note that these are examples and your research question may differ depending on the area of study, the population, and the objective of your project. But the PICOT framework can help ensure your research question is clear, specific, and actionable.