Conduct a PICOT Search

• Watch the date. Research is changing quickly in the medical field. Consult with your instructor for limits on how current your sources should be. All library databases can limit your results by date to weed out outdated resources.
• Use the library's databases. Take advantage of the library's diverse databases, as well as their limiters and filters. Use Ask Us! and librarian appointment services to help you navigate these sources.
• Take your time. Finding high-quality resources for your evidence-based practice takes time, so set aside time for your research. Although it can feel laborious at first, working systematically through high-quality databases will ensure that you find the best evidence to answer your PICOT question and have less work in the future.
• Use citation tools to make your life easier. Create a RefWorks account to easily save research results, organize your research into folders for easy retrieval, and create citations and references.

Balance your PICOT question so it's not too narrow or too broad.

• Too Narrow: "Does a one-hour nurse-led discharge education session at a small rural hospital affect 90-day readmissions for female patients with chronic kidney disease?"
  • The italicized terms make this question overly specific and unlikely to yield many results.
• Too Broad: "Does discharge education affect hospital readmissions?"
  • This question will yield too many results, making it hard to find relevant studies. To narrow your search, add a population and more specific keywords.
• Just Right: "In adult patients with chronic diseases (P), do nurse-led discharge education sessions (I), compared to standard discharge procedures (C), affect hospital readmissions (O)?"