PICOT (Patient, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Time) questions are a structured way to develop clinical research questions. They are used to identify the specific population of interest, the intervention being evaluated, the comparison group, the desired outcome, and the time frame for the study. PICOT questions are essential for developing focused and relevant research studies that can provide meaningful evidence to guide nursing practice.
For example, a PICOT question might be: “In patients with heart failure, does the use of a telemonitoring system compared to usual care improve patient outcomes over a 12-month period?” This question clearly defines the population of interest (patients with heart failure), the intervention (telemonitoring system), the comparison group (usual care), the desired outcome (improved patient outcomes), and the time frame (12 months).
