Nursing Literature Search

Forming a Research Question

Forming a research question can come before, during, or after exploration of nursing literature and resources.

Consider exploring social media or television, or think of your own experiences for relevant, timely issues.

Questions related to evidence-based practice (EBP) fall either in the background or the foreground of the health sciences field. Knowing where your question falls can help you identify the appropriate resources needed to answer it. 

Background questions are focused on general knowledge about a condition or topic in healthcare. 

• Two components: 
  • A question root (who, what, where, when, etc.) with a verb 
  • A disorder, test, treatment or other aspect of healthcare. 
  • Ex: What are the complications of catheter use? 
• Resources needed: Textbooks, books, eBooks, general information websites, encyclopedias, or topic reviews.
• Asked for basic information, not order to make a clinical decision about a specific patient. 

Foreground questions are focused on gaining specific knowledge to inform clinical practice. 

• Four components (see section on PIO/PICO below)
• Need to understand basic concepts in order to understand the answer. 
  • Ex: Does a nurse-driven catheter removal protocol reduce instances of CAUTI in acute-care patients?
• Resources needed: Scholarly, peer-reviewed journals or conference proceedings.

Pull key terms from your question to search in the catalog, databases, or on the web. 

Adapted from Oregon Health & Science University Library, https://libguides.ohsu.edu/nursing/PICO

PI(C)O

PICO is the framework for clinical questions. You might find you are required to only consider the PIO.