Assignment help – Discussion: Searching Databases
When you decide to purchase a new car, you first decide what is important to you. If mileage and dependability are the important factors, you will search for data focused more on these factors and less on color options and sound systems.
The same holds true when searching for research evidence to guide your clinical inquiry and professional decisions. Developing a formula for an answerable, researchable question that addresses your need will make the search process much more effective. One such formula is the PICO(T) format.
In this Assignment help – Discussion, you will transform a clinical inquiry into a searchable question in PICO(T) format, so you can search the electronic databases more effectively and efficiently. You will share this PICO(T) question and examine strategies you might use to increase the rigor and effectiveness of a database search on your PICO(T) question.
To Prepare:
Review the materials offering guidance on using databases, performing keyword searches, and developing PICO(T) questions provided in the Resources.
Review the Resources for guidance and develop a PICO(T) question of interest to you for further study.
By Day 3 of Week 4
Post your PICO(T) question, the search terms used, and the names of at least two databases used for your PICO(T) question. Then, describe your search results in terms of the number of articles returned on original research and how this changed as you added search terms using your Boolean operators. Finally, explain strategies you might make to increase the rigor and effectiveness of a database search on your PICO(T) question. Be specific and provide examples.
Sample Essay Free
Searching Databases
PICOT is a mnemonic used in describing the major elements in developing a clinical inquiry. It stands for P–Patient/Problem, I—Intervention, C—Comparison, O—Outcome and T- Type (Echevarria & Walker, 2014).
PICOT question represents the various elements in describing a condition. For example, does hand washing among healthcare workers reduce hospital-acquired infections? The problem is a hospital-acquired infection, the intervention is washing hands (Echevarria & Walker, 2014). On the other hand, the comparison is a failure to wash hands and expected outcome is reduced infection.
The search terms used in the search include hand washing, health workers, and hospital-acquired infections. The research databases include EBSCOhost and Pubmed. The search process involved combining the keywords to find the appropriate articles. The search returned 229 articles that were related to the keywords. The articles returned reduced in number and they were more precise as I continued adding search items. In one instance it reduced to 117 when the search items were added. One of the Boolean operators used was ‘and’ which was used to show the relationship between hand washing and hospital-acquired infections.
One of the strategies of increasing the rigor during a search in databases is to use specific keywords or search items that will unearth the exact articles a person requires. It is essential to predict the topics of the articles required. The keywords should also be combined prudently with Boolean operators. A person should understand the functions of ‘and’, ‘not’ ‘or’ and how they can be combined to achieve the best results (McGowan, Sampson, Salzwedel, Cogo, Foerster & Lefebvre, 2016). It is also important to modify the search to ensure the best results are realized. For example, a search such as “nurses” AND “New York” limits the search to only the documents or websites with the keywords ‘nurses’ and ‘New York.’
References
Echevarria, I. M., & Walker, S. (2014). To make your case, start with a PICOT question. Nursing2018, 44(2), 18-19.
Hastings, C., & Fisher, C. A. (2014). Searching for proof: Creating and using an actionable PICO question. Nursing management, 45(8), 9-12.
McGowan, J., Sampson, M., Salzwedel, D. M., Cogo, E., Foerster, V., & Lefebvre, C. (2016). Press peer review of electronic search strategies: 2015 guideline statement. Journal of clinical epidemiology, 75, 40-46.
