Using Web Sites and Search Engines

The nurses on your unit have been discussing and debating the best ways to provide care for patients when they are discharged from your unit. You are wondering how to achieve the best standard of practice for patient education in your specialty area, so you decide to formulate a PICO question and conduct a literature search on this topic. Submit a paper of 2–3 pages in APA format that addresses the following items: Develop a clinical question for study using the PICO format. P: a population or a group of patients, for example patients with insulin dependent diabetes I: an intervention, such as patient education programs C: a comparison intervention or treatment, such as home visits by a nurse O: patient outcomes For example: Do educational programs for diabetics on insulin or home visits to a diabetic do more to support control of blood sugar? For example: Do patient educational classes for asthmatic patients lead to improved functional status (decrease hospitalizations)? (Note: In this example, there is no comparison treatment.) Using MEDLINE/PubMed (using MeSH) and CINAHL do the following: Conduct a systematic search for relevant research findings on your topic or question. List the words that you entered to perform each search. List the number of findings that were returned. Identify the steps that you took to narrow the search to more precise findings. Describe at least 3 sources of relevant literature findings on your PICO question. You should be able to locate the article in full text or an abstract of the study. Select research findings that most closely fit the PICO question that you posed Cite the references. Now, research your PICO question using this scholarly search engine. List the number of “hits” that were returned. How does this search engine rate and rank the reference articles that it lists in a search? How does this search engine ranking system aid researchers as they seek information? Explain the following: What steps can a researcher use to narrow the search for information on a clinical topic? Why is it necessary to narrow a search? Which search did you find to be the most effective and useful on this clinical topic, and what made it effective for you? What is the difference between a search engine and a database for locating relevant practice information? Select a preferred search tool, and identify the rationale for your preference.