NR 451 W3 Milestone 1
Evidence Worksheet Susan
Russell Capstone Project
NR 451 Capstone - Milestone 1 Evidence Worksheet:
Section 1: PICO(T) Question Fundamentals (Q1-20)
1. What does the acronym PICO(T) stand for in evidence-based practice?
o Answer: Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, (Time)
2. What is the primary purpose of formulating a PICO(T) question?
o Answer: To frame a focused, searchable clinical question that guides the
evidence-based practice process.
3. In Susan Russell's capstone project on reducing catheter-associated urinary tract
infections (CAUTIs), which part of PICO(T) would "bedside nurses on a medical-surgical
unit" represent?
o Answer: The Population (P).
4. What component of a PICO(T) question is "implementation of a nurse-driven urinary
catheter removal protocol"?
o Answer: The Intervention (I).
5. If the comparison is "usual care (without a formal protocol)," what part of PICO(T) is
this?
o Answer: The Comparison (C).
6. A decrease in CAUTI rates per 1000 catheter-days is an example of which PICO(T)
element?
o Answer: The Outcome (O).
7. When is the Time (T) component used in a PICO(T) question?
, o Answer: When the outcome is best measured within a specific timeframe (e.g.,
over a 6-month period).
8. What type of PICO(T) question is best for evaluating an intervention's effectiveness?
o Answer: An intervention/therapy question.
9. True or False: A well-constructed PICO(T) question should be broad to capture as much
literature as possible.
o Answer: False. It should be specific and focused to yield relevant evidence.
10. Which PICO(T) element ensures the question remains patient-centered?
o Answer: The Outcome (O).
11. What is a potential Outcome (O) for Susan's project besides infection rate?
o Answer: Nurse adherence to the protocol or catheter days per patient.
12. Why is defining the Comparison (C) important?
o Answer: It establishes a baseline against which the intervention's effect is
measured.
13. A PICO(T) question helps to avoid which common pitfall in literature searches?
o Answer: Unfocused, overly broad searches that yield irrelevant results.
14. What is the final, written PICO(T) question for Susan's project likely to be?
o Answer: In bedside nurses on a medical-surgical unit (P), does implementing a
nurse-driven catheter removal protocol (I) compared to usual care without a
protocol (C) reduce CAUTI rates (O) over a 3-month period (T)?
15. Which element might be implied rather than stated in some PICO(T) questions?
o Answer: Time (T).
16. In a diagnosis PICO(T) question, what would the Intervention (I) be?
o Answer: A diagnostic test or assessment tool.
17. What does a "null" comparison look like in a PICO(T) question?
o Answer: Comparison to no intervention, placebo, or standard care.
, 18. Why is the Population (P) specified as "bedside nurses"?
o Answer: Because they are the end-users who will implement the intervention,
affecting feasibility and outcomes.
19. True or False: The PICO(T) format is only used for quantitative research questions.
o Answer: False. It can be adapted for qualitative questions (e.g., using PICo).
20. The first step in the evidence-based practice process is:
o Answer: Ask a clinical question (using PICO(T)).
Section 2: Search Strategy & Keywords (Q21-40)
21. What is the first action after formulating a PICO(T) question?
o Answer: Identify key search terms from each PICO(T) component.
22. What are the key search terms derived from the Population "bedside nurses on a
medical-surgical unit"?
o Answer: Nurses, nursing staff, bedside, medical-surgical, acute care.
23. What are synonyms for the Intervention "nurse-driven urinary catheter removal
protocol"?
o Answer: Nurse-led, protocol, checklist, removal criteria, empowerment, catheter
discontinuation.
24. What is a key medical subject heading (MeSH) term for the outcome "CAUTI"?
o Answer: Catheter-Related Infections, Urinary Tract Infections.
25. What Boolean operator is used to combine similar concepts (synonyms)?
o Answer: OR (e.g., nurses OR nursing staff).
26. What Boolean operator is used to link different PICO(T) concepts together?
o Answer: AND (e.g., nurses AND protocol AND CAUTI).
27. What is the purpose of using truncation (e.g., nurs*) in a search?
o Answer: To find variations of a word root (e.g., nurse, nurses, nursing).
28. Which database is considered a premier source for nursing and allied health literature?
, o Answer: CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature).
29. Which database is a primary source for biomedical literature from the NIH?
o Answer: PubMed/MEDLINE.
30. What is a key filter to apply in a database search to limit to higher levels of evidence?
o Answer: Publication type: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, Randomized
Controlled Trial.
31. What is the purpose of using quotation marks in a search (e.g., "catheter-associated")?
o Answer: To search for an exact phrase.
32. Why should you search more than one database?
o Answer: Different databases index different journals; searching multiple reduces
publication bias.
33. A preliminary, broad search helps to identify what?
o Answer: The volume and general scope of available literature on the topic.
34. What is a key strategy if your initial search yields too few results?
o Answer: Broaden terms by using more synonyms, removing the least critical
concept, or using truncation.
35. What is a key strategy if your initial search yields too many results?
o Answer: Narrow by adding more specific terms, using filters (date, study type), or
focusing the Population/Intervention.
36. Where should you look in a relevant article to find additional search terms?
o Answer: In the article's abstract, keywords, and MeSH/subject heading terms.
37. True or False: You should only use full-text articles in your capstone evidence review.
o Answer: False. Reviewing abstracts first is essential for screening relevance
before seeking full text.
38. What is "pearl harvesting" in a literature search?
Evidence Worksheet Susan
Russell Capstone Project
NR 451 Capstone - Milestone 1 Evidence Worksheet:
Section 1: PICO(T) Question Fundamentals (Q1-20)
1. What does the acronym PICO(T) stand for in evidence-based practice?
o Answer: Patient/Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, (Time)
2. What is the primary purpose of formulating a PICO(T) question?
o Answer: To frame a focused, searchable clinical question that guides the
evidence-based practice process.
3. In Susan Russell's capstone project on reducing catheter-associated urinary tract
infections (CAUTIs), which part of PICO(T) would "bedside nurses on a medical-surgical
unit" represent?
o Answer: The Population (P).
4. What component of a PICO(T) question is "implementation of a nurse-driven urinary
catheter removal protocol"?
o Answer: The Intervention (I).
5. If the comparison is "usual care (without a formal protocol)," what part of PICO(T) is
this?
o Answer: The Comparison (C).
6. A decrease in CAUTI rates per 1000 catheter-days is an example of which PICO(T)
element?
o Answer: The Outcome (O).
7. When is the Time (T) component used in a PICO(T) question?
, o Answer: When the outcome is best measured within a specific timeframe (e.g.,
over a 6-month period).
8. What type of PICO(T) question is best for evaluating an intervention's effectiveness?
o Answer: An intervention/therapy question.
9. True or False: A well-constructed PICO(T) question should be broad to capture as much
literature as possible.
o Answer: False. It should be specific and focused to yield relevant evidence.
10. Which PICO(T) element ensures the question remains patient-centered?
o Answer: The Outcome (O).
11. What is a potential Outcome (O) for Susan's project besides infection rate?
o Answer: Nurse adherence to the protocol or catheter days per patient.
12. Why is defining the Comparison (C) important?
o Answer: It establishes a baseline against which the intervention's effect is
measured.
13. A PICO(T) question helps to avoid which common pitfall in literature searches?
o Answer: Unfocused, overly broad searches that yield irrelevant results.
14. What is the final, written PICO(T) question for Susan's project likely to be?
o Answer: In bedside nurses on a medical-surgical unit (P), does implementing a
nurse-driven catheter removal protocol (I) compared to usual care without a
protocol (C) reduce CAUTI rates (O) over a 3-month period (T)?
15. Which element might be implied rather than stated in some PICO(T) questions?
o Answer: Time (T).
16. In a diagnosis PICO(T) question, what would the Intervention (I) be?
o Answer: A diagnostic test or assessment tool.
17. What does a "null" comparison look like in a PICO(T) question?
o Answer: Comparison to no intervention, placebo, or standard care.
, 18. Why is the Population (P) specified as "bedside nurses"?
o Answer: Because they are the end-users who will implement the intervention,
affecting feasibility and outcomes.
19. True or False: The PICO(T) format is only used for quantitative research questions.
o Answer: False. It can be adapted for qualitative questions (e.g., using PICo).
20. The first step in the evidence-based practice process is:
o Answer: Ask a clinical question (using PICO(T)).
Section 2: Search Strategy & Keywords (Q21-40)
21. What is the first action after formulating a PICO(T) question?
o Answer: Identify key search terms from each PICO(T) component.
22. What are the key search terms derived from the Population "bedside nurses on a
medical-surgical unit"?
o Answer: Nurses, nursing staff, bedside, medical-surgical, acute care.
23. What are synonyms for the Intervention "nurse-driven urinary catheter removal
protocol"?
o Answer: Nurse-led, protocol, checklist, removal criteria, empowerment, catheter
discontinuation.
24. What is a key medical subject heading (MeSH) term for the outcome "CAUTI"?
o Answer: Catheter-Related Infections, Urinary Tract Infections.
25. What Boolean operator is used to combine similar concepts (synonyms)?
o Answer: OR (e.g., nurses OR nursing staff).
26. What Boolean operator is used to link different PICO(T) concepts together?
o Answer: AND (e.g., nurses AND protocol AND CAUTI).
27. What is the purpose of using truncation (e.g., nurs*) in a search?
o Answer: To find variations of a word root (e.g., nurse, nurses, nursing).
28. Which database is considered a premier source for nursing and allied health literature?
, o Answer: CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature).
29. Which database is a primary source for biomedical literature from the NIH?
o Answer: PubMed/MEDLINE.
30. What is a key filter to apply in a database search to limit to higher levels of evidence?
o Answer: Publication type: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, Randomized
Controlled Trial.
31. What is the purpose of using quotation marks in a search (e.g., "catheter-associated")?
o Answer: To search for an exact phrase.
32. Why should you search more than one database?
o Answer: Different databases index different journals; searching multiple reduces
publication bias.
33. A preliminary, broad search helps to identify what?
o Answer: The volume and general scope of available literature on the topic.
34. What is a key strategy if your initial search yields too few results?
o Answer: Broaden terms by using more synonyms, removing the least critical
concept, or using truncation.
35. What is a key strategy if your initial search yields too many results?
o Answer: Narrow by adding more specific terms, using filters (date, study type), or
focusing the Population/Intervention.
36. Where should you look in a relevant article to find additional search terms?
o Answer: In the article's abstract, keywords, and MeSH/subject heading terms.
37. True or False: You should only use full-text articles in your capstone evidence review.
o Answer: False. Reviewing abstracts first is essential for screening relevance
before seeking full text.
38. What is "pearl harvesting" in a literature search?
