How to Write a Systematic Review to Answer a PICOT Question

Task:

 

How to write a Systematic Review to answer a PICOT question. Essentially, your systematic review is a study of studies already conducted on a specific topic and available in in scholarly journals. The study of the studies is used to answer a specific research question, your PICOT question. You created criteria for deciding on which evidence is included or excluded when starting the systematic review. By doing this, you as the author helps to reduce the risk of bias and makes your findings more reliable.

 

This section of your systematic review paper states the purpose, which is to conduct evidence based literature research and analysis to answer your PICOT question. This will be accomplished by comparing what evidence-based literature has to say about your I (intervention) strategy and your C (comparison) strategy. Your purpose statement presents the reason, scope, and direction of the paper. It tells the reader what to expect in a paper and what the specific focus will be. To minimize bias, you should not state an opinion in this section.

 

This section is not long. Please note, you are not conducting original research. Literature search strategy- this section includes the names of databases you used, word's you used for research, word's you eliminated in research (and why), dates, types of journals reviewed, the type of studies, the number of journals reviewed, any problems encountered.

 

Does the literature utilize qualitative or quantitative studies? What are the sample sizes? What are the locations? Are they similar? Were the findings similar? Are the articles presenting original research? You should include original research articles which examine the I (intervention) strategy and the C (comparison) strategy separately. You may find research articles which combine the two and these can be used, but not used for your primary analysis/assessment/interpretation. By investigating, reading, analyzing, and interpreting EB literature which discusses the good and bad of both the intervention strategy and the comparison strategy, you minimize bias (Groves & Gray, p394-414). You may want to use subheadings in this section. Conclusion of findings- in this section, as a result of your evaluation of literature, you clearly state whether the intervention strategy or the comparison strategy is better and why.

 

Include a section discussing implementing change in healthcare. In this section you may choose to have personal communications with your leaders in your organization or in your community about change. You can include information on what the process is to implement change at your healthcare facility by asking your Unit Practice Council, Manager, about the change process. Support the findings with literature on change OR you can write generically about implementing change in healthcare identifying an evidence-based practice model you could use to facilitate change... Be sure to use APA format to CITE personal communication!! Include a section discussing barriers to change- In this section you will discuss barriers/blockades to change. There is EB literature available which discusses barriers to change in healthcare. Here you may cite also your leaders, as they may identify barriers to change in the organization OR you can write generically about barriers to change.

Be sure to CITE with evidence!! Summary of the paper. This section has two to three paragraphs, restating the PICOT question, the analysis/evaluation of literature research findings, how change can or may occur and barriers to change. You should also discuss areas of needed research or future areas to be examined.