How to Develop a PICOT Question: 114 PICOT Question Examples for Your Nursing Project

Why PICOT matters

Every evidence-based practice (EBP) project, capstone and DNP project begins with a question. A vague question (“How can we reduce falls?”) leads to a vague search and an unfocused project. A PICOT question turns a clinical problem into a focused, searchable and answerable question that guides your literature search, intervention and outcome measures (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2023). The format grew out of the “well-built clinical question” in evidence-based medicine (Richardson et al., 1995) and is now standard in nursing education (Riva et al., 2012).

The parts of a PICOT question

PICOT templates by question type

Meaning questions explore experiences and are answered by qualitative research, so they usually have no comparison.

How to brainstorm a PICOT question: 7 strategies

1. Start with what you see in clinical practice. Keep a practicum journal and note recurring problems: falls, infections, readmissions, pain, delays, patient confusion at discharge.
2. Look at unit and organizational data. Quality dashboards, incident reports and patient satisfaction scores show where performance falls short of targets.
3. Ask staff and preceptors. “What problem on this unit frustrates you most?” “What would you change if you could?”
4. Check national priorities: Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals, Healthy People 2030, AHRQ priority areas and nurse-sensitive quality indicators.
5. Question a routine practice. “Why do we do it this way?” Examples include routine IV catheter changes, fasting from midnight, and restricted visiting hours.
6. Read recent literature and guidelines in your specialty, and look for recommendations not yet adopted on your unit.
7. Follow your passion and career goals. A topic you care about will keep you motivated through a long project.

Is it a good PICOT question? The FINER test

The FINER criteria were described by Hulley et al. (2013) for developing research questions.

114 PICOT question examples for your project

Use these examples as inspiration, not as finished questions. The strongest PICOT question is tailored to your own setting, population and data, so adapt the population, intervention, comparison, outcome and time frame to fit your practicum or workplace.

Medical-surgical and acute care (1–12)

1. In adult postoperative patients (P), does early ambulation within 24 hours of surgery (I), compared with ambulation after 48 hours (C), reduce the incidence of venous thromboembolism (O) during hospitalization (T)?
2. In adults after abdominal surgery (P), does chewing gum (I), compared with standard care (C), shorten the time to return of bowel function (O) within the first 5 postoperative days (T)?
3. In hospitalized adults with heart failure (P), does nurse-led discharge education using teach-back (I), compared with standard discharge instructions (C), reduce 30-day readmission rates (O)?
4. In adult surgical patients (P), does a multimodal analgesia protocol (I), compared with opioid-only analgesia (C), reduce opioid consumption (O) in the first 72 hours after surgery (T)?
5. In hospitalized adults receiving IV therapy (P), does replacing peripheral IV catheters only when clinically indicated (I), compared with routine replacement every 72–96 hours (C), affect rates of phlebitis (O) during the hospital stay (T)?
6. In adults with type 2 diabetes admitted to medical units (P), does basal-bolus insulin (I), compared with sliding-scale insulin alone (C), improve glycemic control (O) during hospitalization (T)?
7. In adult inpatients at risk of malnutrition (P), does protein-enriched oral nutritional supplementation (I), compared with a standard hospital diet (C), reduce length of stay (O)?
8. In hospitalized older adults (P), does a nurse-led mobility protocol (I), compared with usual care (C), prevent functional decline (O) at discharge (T)?
9. In adults undergoing elective surgery (P), does preoperative carbohydrate loading (I), compared with traditional fasting from midnight (C), reduce postoperative nausea and insulin resistance (O) within 24 hours (T)?
10. In adult medical-surgical patients (P), does bedside shift report (I), compared with report at the nurses' station (C), improve patient satisfaction scores (O) over 3 months (T)?
11. In patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (P), does pulmonary rehabilitation started within 4 weeks of discharge (I), compared with no rehabilitation (C), reduce readmissions (O) within 90 days (T)?
12. In adult surgical patients (P), does incentive spirometry education before surgery (I), compared with education after surgery only (C), reduce postoperative pulmonary complications (O)?

Critical care and emergency nursing (13–22)

13. In mechanically ventilated ICU patients (P), does a ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) bundle including oral care with toothbrushing (I), compared with standard oral care (C), reduce VAP rates (O) over 6 months (T)?
14. In adult ICU patients (P), does the ABCDEF bundle (I), compared with usual care (C), reduce the incidence and duration of delirium (O) during the ICU stay (T)?
15. In adult ICU patients on sedation (P), does daily sedation interruption (I), compared with continuous sedation (C), reduce days on mechanical ventilation (O)?
16. In emergency department patients with suspected sepsis (P), does a nurse-initiated sepsis screening tool at triage (I), compared with physician recognition alone (C), reduce time to antibiotic administration (O)?
17. In adult patients admitted to the ICU (P), does early mobilization (I), compared with standard bed rest (C), reduce ICU-acquired weakness (O) at ICU discharge (T)?
18. In ICU patients (P), does an open (flexible) family visitation policy (I), compared with restricted visiting hours (C), reduce patient anxiety and family stress (O)?
19. In emergency department nurses (P), does structured triage training using the Emergency Severity Index (I), compared with no additional training (C), improve triage accuracy (O) over 3 months (T)?
20. In adults with central venous catheters in the ICU (P), does chlorhexidine bathing (I), compared with soap and water bathing (C), reduce CLABSI rates (O)?
21. In critically ill adults receiving enteral nutrition (P), does elevating the head of the bed to 30–45 degrees (I), compared with lower positioning (C), reduce aspiration pneumonia (O)?
22. How do family members (P) of ICU patients receiving end-of-life care (I) perceive communication with nurses (O) during the final week of life (T)?

Patient safety and quality improvement (23–34)

23. In hospitalized adults at high risk for falls (P), does hourly purposeful rounding (I), compared with rounding every 2 hours (C), reduce falls per 1,000 patient-days (O) over 12 weeks (T)?
24. In older inpatients (P), does the use of bed and chair alarms (I), compared with no alarms (C), reduce fall-related injuries (O)?
25. In nurses administering medications (P), does a 'no interruption zone' (I), compared with standard practice (C), reduce medication administration errors (O) over 3 months (T)?
26. In hospitalized adults (P), does barcode medication administration (I), compared with manual verification (C), reduce medication errors (O)?
27. In immobile adult inpatients (P), does repositioning every 2 hours with a pressure-redistribution mattress (I), compared with a standard mattress (C), reduce hospital-acquired pressure injuries (O)?
28. In adult ICU patients (P), does a daily skin assessment using the Braden Scale (I), compared with assessment on admission only (C), reduce pressure injury incidence (O) over 6 months (T)?
29. In nurses on a medical unit (P), does the I-PASS handoff tool (I), compared with unstructured handoff (C), reduce communication-related adverse events (O)?
30. In hospitalized patients (P), does medication reconciliation performed by nurses at admission (I), compared with physician-only reconciliation (C), reduce medication discrepancies (O)?
31. In surgical patients (P), does use of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist (I), compared with no checklist (C), reduce postoperative complications (O)?
32. In adult inpatients (P), does a rapid response team activated by nurses using early warning scores (I), compared with no early warning system (C), reduce unplanned ICU transfers and cardiac arrests (O)?
33. In nursing staff (P), does a just-culture training program (I), compared with no training (C), increase incident reporting rates (O) within 6 months (T)?
34. In hospitalized adults on anticoagulants (P), does nurse-led anticoagulation education (I), compared with standard written information (C), reduce bleeding events after discharge (O) within 30 days (T)?

Infection prevention (35–44)

35. In adult inpatients with indwelling urinary catheters (P), does a nurse-driven catheter removal protocol (I), compared with physician-ordered removal (C), reduce CAUTI rates (O) over 6 months (T)?
36. In healthcare workers on a medical unit (P), does real-time hand-hygiene monitoring with feedback (I), compared with periodic audits (C), increase hand-hygiene compliance (O) over 3 months (T)?
37. In surgical patients (P), does preoperative chlorhexidine bathing (I), compared with no preoperative bathing (C), reduce surgical site infections (O) within 30 days (T)?
38. In hospitalized patients receiving antibiotics (P), does a nurse-supported antimicrobial stewardship program (I), compared with usual care (C), reduce Clostridioides difficile infections (O)?
39. In long-term care residents (P), does a staff education program on infection control (I), compared with no program (C), reduce urinary tract infections (O) over 6 months (T)?
40. In patients with central lines (P), does use of chlorhexidine-impregnated dressings (I), compared with standard dressings (C), reduce CLABSI (O)?
41. In nurses (P), does a mandatory influenza vaccination policy (I), compared with a voluntary policy (C), increase vaccination rates (O) during flu season (T)?
42. In hospitalized patients colonized with MRSA (P), does contact precautions (I), compared with standard precautions only (C), reduce MRSA transmission (O)?
43. In patients with peripheral IV catheters (P), does scrubbing the hub with alcohol for 15 seconds (I), compared with no standard scrub time (C), reduce catheter-related bloodstream infections (O)?
44. In hospital environmental services staff (P), does UV light disinfection (I), compared with manual cleaning alone (C), reduce hospital-acquired infections (O)?

Maternal and newborn nursing (45–54)

45. In first-time mothers of healthy term infants (P), does prenatal breastfeeding education (I), compared with postpartum education only (C), increase exclusive breastfeeding rates (O) at 6 weeks (T)?
46. In healthy term newborns (P), does immediate skin-to-skin contact (I), compared with routine care (C), improve temperature stability and breastfeeding initiation (O) in the first hour after birth (T)?
47. In laboring women (P), does upright positioning and mobility (I), compared with supine positioning (C), shorten the length of the second stage of labor (O)?
48. In postpartum women (P), does screening with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at 2 weeks (I), compared with screening at 6 weeks only (C), improve early detection of postpartum depression (O)?
49. In women with gestational diabetes (P), does a nurse-led telehealth glucose monitoring program (I), compared with standard clinic visits (C), improve glycemic control (O) until delivery (T)?
50. In women after vaginal birth (P), does active management of the third stage of labor with oxytocin (I), compared with expectant management (C), reduce postpartum hemorrhage (O)?
51. In preterm infants in the NICU (P), does kangaroo care (I), compared with incubator care alone (C), improve weight gain (O) over 4 weeks (T)?
52. In pregnant women with hypertension (P), does home blood pressure monitoring (I), compared with clinic monitoring only (C), reduce severe maternal morbidity (O)?
53. How do Black women (P) describe their experiences of respectful maternity care (I) during labor and birth (O) in U.S. hospitals?
54. In newborns undergoing heel sticks (P), does oral sucrose (I), compared with no intervention (C), reduce pain scores (O) during the procedure (T)?

Pediatric nursing (55–64)

55. In children undergoing venipuncture (P), does distraction with virtual reality (I), compared with standard care (C), reduce procedural pain and anxiety (O)?
56. In school-age children with asthma (P), does school nurse-led asthma education (I), compared with no education (C), reduce asthma-related absences (O) over one school year (T)?
57. In children aged 2–5 years with obesity (P), does a family-based nutrition and physical activity program (I), compared with standard counseling (C), reduce BMI percentile (O) over 12 months (T)?
58. In parents of newborns (P), does safe-sleep education with a crib demonstration (I), compared with a written handout (C), increase adherence to safe-sleep practices (O) at 3 months (T)?
59. In hospitalized children (P), does family-centered rounds (I), compared with traditional rounds (C), improve parent satisfaction (O)?
60. In adolescents with type 1 diabetes (P), does a mobile app for glucose tracking (I), compared with paper logs (C), improve HbA1c (O) over 6 months (T)?
61. In children receiving immunizations (P), does the use of a topical anesthetic cream (I), compared with no anesthetic (C), reduce pain scores (O)?
62. In adolescents (P), does school-based mental health screening (I), compared with no screening (C), increase early referral for depression (O) within one academic year (T)?
63. In infants with bronchiolitis (P), does high-flow nasal cannula (I), compared with standard oxygen therapy (C), reduce the need for ICU transfer (O)?
64. How do parents (P) of children with a new cancer diagnosis (I) experience the first month of treatment (O, T)?

Mental health and psychiatric nursing (65–76)

65. In adults with major depressive disorder (P), does cognitive behavioral therapy plus an antidepressant (I), compared with an antidepressant alone (C), reduce depressive symptoms (O) at 12 weeks (T)?
66. In psychiatric inpatients (P), does de-escalation training for staff (I), compared with no training (C), reduce the use of restraints and seclusion (O) over 6 months (T)?
67. In emergency department patients (P), does universal suicide screening with the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (I), compared with screening only when symptoms are reported (C), increase identification of suicide risk (O)?
68. In adults with generalized anxiety disorder (P), does mindfulness-based stress reduction (I), compared with usual care (C), reduce anxiety scores (O) over 8 weeks (T)?
69. In adults with schizophrenia (P), does long-acting injectable antipsychotic medication (I), compared with oral antipsychotics (C), reduce hospital readmission (O) within 12 months (T)?
70. In adults with opioid use disorder (P), does medication for opioid use disorder (buprenorphine) started in the emergency department (I), compared with referral only (C), increase treatment engagement (O) at 30 days (T)?
71. In nursing students (P), does a resilience training program (I), compared with no program (C), reduce stress and burnout (O) over one semester (T)?
72. In older adults with depression in primary care (P), does collaborative care (I), compared with usual care (C), improve depression remission (O) at 6 months (T)?
73. In psychiatric inpatients (P), does a structured physical activity program (I), compared with no program (C), improve mood and sleep (O) during hospitalization (T)?
74. In adults with alcohol use disorder (P), does screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) (I), compared with no intervention (C), reduce alcohol consumption (O) at 3 months (T)?
75. In veterans with PTSD (P), does telehealth-delivered prolonged exposure therapy (I), compared with in-person therapy (C), produce similar reductions in PTSD symptoms (O) at 12 weeks (T)?
76. How do family caregivers (P) of adults with serious mental illness (I) describe the burden of caregiving (O)?

Gerontology and long-term care (77–86)

77. In nursing home residents with dementia (P), does person-centered music therapy (I), compared with usual care (C), reduce agitation (O) over 8 weeks (T)?
78. In nursing home residents with dementia (P), do non-pharmacological interventions (I), compared with antipsychotic medication (C), reduce behavioral and psychological symptoms (O)?
79. In community-dwelling older adults (P), does a tai chi program (I), compared with no exercise program (C), reduce falls (O) over 6 months (T)?
80. In hospitalized older adults (P), does the Hospital Elder Life Program (I), compared with usual care (C), reduce the incidence of delirium (O)?
81. In older adults taking five or more medications (P), does nurse-led medication review and deprescribing (I), compared with usual care (C), reduce adverse drug events (O) over 6 months (T)?
82. In long-term care residents (P), does an oral hygiene protocol (I), compared with standard care (C), reduce aspiration pneumonia (O)?
83. In older adults discharged home (P), do nurse home visits within 72 hours (I), compared with no home visits (C), reduce 30-day readmissions (O)?
84. In residents of assisted living facilities (P), does a structured social engagement program (I), compared with usual activities (C), reduce loneliness (O) over 3 months (T)?
85. In older adults with chronic pain (P), does acupuncture (I), compared with standard pharmacological pain management (C), reduce pain scores (O)?
86. How do older adults (P) living alone with heart failure (I) experience self-care at home (O)?

Chronic disease, primary care and community health (87–98)

87. In adults with type 2 diabetes (P), does a nurse-led text-message reminder program (I), compared with usual care (C), lower HbA1c (O) over 6 months (T)?
88. In adults with uncontrolled hypertension (P), does home blood pressure monitoring with nurse follow-up (I), compared with clinic monitoring alone (C), reduce systolic blood pressure (O) at 3 months (T)?
89. In adults with obesity in primary care (P), does motivational interviewing by nurses (I), compared with standard advice (C), increase weight loss (O) at 6 months (T)?
90. In adult smokers (P), does nurse-delivered smoking cessation counseling plus nicotine replacement therapy (I), compared with nicotine replacement therapy alone (C), increase quit rates (O) at 6 months (T)?
91. In adults with asthma (P), does an individualized written asthma action plan (I), compared with verbal instructions only (C), reduce emergency department visits (O) over 12 months (T)?
92. In adults with chronic kidney disease (P), does a dietary sodium education program (I), compared with no program (C), slow decline in kidney function (O) over 12 months (T)?
93. In low-income adults (P), do community health worker home visits (I), compared with clinic-based care alone (C), improve medication adherence for chronic conditions (O)?
94. In adults aged 45–75 (P), do mailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) kits (I), compared with clinic reminders (C), increase colorectal cancer screening rates (O) over 6 months (T)?
95. In adults with heart failure (P), does daily weight monitoring with telemonitoring (I), compared with standard self-care education (C), reduce hospitalizations (O) over 6 months (T)?
96. In adults with chronic low back pain (P), does yoga (I), compared with physical therapy (C), reduce pain and disability (O) at 12 weeks (T)?
97. In unvaccinated adults in rural communities (P), does a nurse-led mobile vaccination clinic (I), compared with standard clinic-based vaccination (C), increase vaccination rates (O)?
98. In adults with prediabetes (P), does a lifestyle intervention program (I), compared with metformin (C), reduce progression to type 2 diabetes (O) over 2 years (T)?

Nursing workforce, education and leadership (99–108)

99. In newly graduated nurses (P), does a 12-month nurse residency program (I), compared with standard orientation (C), improve first-year retention (O)?
100. In registered nurses on medical-surgical units (P), how do 12-hour shifts (I), compared with 8-hour shifts (C), affect burnout and medication errors (O)?
101. In hospital nurses (P), does a mindfulness program (I), compared with no program (C), reduce burnout scores (O) over 3 months (T)?
102. In nursing students (P), does high-fidelity simulation (I), compared with traditional clinical practice alone (C), improve clinical judgment (O) by the end of the semester (T)?
103. In emergency department nurses (P), does workplace violence prevention training (I), compared with no training (C), reduce reported incidents of violence (O) over 12 months (T)?
104. In medical-surgical units (P), do lower nurse-to-patient ratios (I), compared with higher ratios (C), reduce patient mortality and failure to rescue (O)?
105. In nurse managers (P), does transformational leadership training (I), compared with no training (C), improve staff job satisfaction (O) over 6 months (T)?
106. In nursing students preparing for licensure (P), does an NCLEX preparation program with practice tests (I), compared with self-study (C), increase first-time NCLEX pass rates (O)?
107. In experienced nurses (P), does a formal mentorship role (I), compared with no mentorship role (C), increase their own job satisfaction and intent to stay (O)?
108. How do nurses (P) who experienced moral distress during the COVID-19 pandemic (I) describe its impact on their intent to stay in nursing (O)?

Informatics and telehealth (109–114)

109. In patients discharged after myocardial infarction (P), does a telehealth cardiac rehabilitation program (I), compared with center-based rehabilitation (C), produce similar improvements in exercise capacity (O) at 12 weeks (T)?
110. In hospital nurses (P), does the use of an electronic early warning score in the EHR (I), compared with manual calculation (C), improve recognition of patient deterioration (O)?
111. In adults with diabetes (P), does use of a patient portal for secure messaging with nurses (I), compared with no portal use (C), improve HbA1c (O) over 6 months (T)?
112. In nurses (P), does reducing non-actionable EHR alerts (I), compared with standard alert settings (C), reduce alert fatigue and override rates (O)?
113. In rural patients with depression (P), does telepsychiatry (I), compared with in-person psychiatric care (C), produce similar improvement in depressive symptoms (O) at 3 months (T)?
114. In hospitalized adults at risk for deterioration (P), does continuous wireless vital-sign monitoring (I), compared with intermittent manual monitoring (C), reduce rapid response activations and ICU transfers (O)?

From PICOT to literature search

Your PICOT elements become your search terms. For example, for question 23 (hourly rounding and falls):

Search CINAHL, PubMed/MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library, then appraise what you find (see our guide on how to critique different study designs).

Common PICOT mistakes

• Too broad: “In patients, does education improve outcomes?” Specify the population, type of education and a measurable outcome.
• Outcome not measurable: “improve care” or “help patients.” Use a defined measure such as a fall rate, HbA1c, a pain score or the readmission rate.
• Two interventions or outcomes at once, which makes the search and project unmanageable.
• A yes/no fact question (“Is hand hygiene important?”) rather than an answerable clinical question.
• Not feasible in your setting or timeline, or outside nursing’s control.
• Wrong question type: using an intervention template for a question about patients’ experiences.

Conclusion

A strong PICOT question is the foundation of a successful EBP project, capstone or DNP project. Brainstorm from your clinical experience and data, test your ideas with the FINER criteria, and choose a focused question with a clear population, intervention, comparison and measurable outcome. Use the 114 examples above as starting points, then tailor them to your own setting. For the next steps, see our guides on developing a capstone project from practicum experience and proposals, DNP projects and PICO in nursing school.

References

Hulley, S. B., Cummings, S. R., Browner, W. S., Grady, D. G., & Newman, T. B. (2013). Designing clinical research (4th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2023). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice (5th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.

Richardson, W. S., Wilson, M. C., Nishikawa, J., & Hayward, R. S. (1995). The well-built clinical question: A key to evidence-based decisions. ACP Journal Club, 123(3), A12–A13.

Riva, J. J., Malik, K. M. P., Burnie, S. J., Endicott, A. R., & Busse, J. W. (2012). What is your research question? An introduction to the PICOT format for clinicians. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 56(3), 167–171.