PICOT
Do adult patients with cancer pain (p) feel less pain when receiving palliative care from the palliative care team (i) if compared to conventional care practice (c) in terms of pain intensity reduction and improved pain management (o)?
- P: Patients with cancer pains
- I: Palliative management and consultations
- C: Conventional care practice (no palliative care whatsoever)
- O: Reduced pain strength and enhanced pain management
- T: This parameter is not required for this study.
Statement of the Problem
The problem revolves around the provision of care to palliative cancer patients and their overall psychological and physical condition. It is safe to say that this particular population is exposed to several health issues that adversely impact their state and seriously downgrade their resistance to depression and other mental health issues (Matzo & Sherman, 2014). Within the framework of this research, it is expected to evaluate the benefits of a palliative care team and their influence on patient outcomes. The researcher is certain of the fact that the social and emotional needs of palliative patients with cancer will be met as a result of the conducted research (Becker, 2015).
By addressing the issue of palliative care of cancer pains in patients, the researcher expects to answer the question of whether the developed practitioner-led intervention will turn out to be effective. (Matzo & Sherman, 2014). This problem is rather relevant for the existing health care environment because it is pivotal to identify the best way to deal with pains in palliative cancer patients and facilitate their living through the proposed intervention.
Connection to Specialization
The problem of implementing this particular practitioner-led intervention is inextricably linked to the area of my specialization because assembling a palliative care team of practitioners is hypothetically expected to be an effective instrument in helping palliative cancer patients to deal with their pains (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2015). Employing this project, the partakers will improve professional skills and expand their knowledge base in terms of mitigating pains associated with cancer.
The existing literature in the area also contributes to the connection between my specialization and the proposed intervention as there are issues that are currently insufficiently researched, and there is a need to generate more evidence (Becker, 2015). Also, by assembling the team of palliative care professionals, the researcher expects to address several issues inherent in nursing leadership practices and management approaches.
The Evidence-Based Nature of PICOT
The evidence-based origin of the practice question stated at the beginning of the paper can be supported by research in the area that claims that palliative care seriously affects the patients’ perceptions of pain (Matzo & Sherman, 2014). Also, the researcher expects to find a direct dependency between the outcomes in palliative cancer patients that do not involve serious pains and the implementation of the proposed practitioner-led intervention concerning the palliative care team. The evidence-based nature of the PICOT and the research project as a whole is anticipated to generate positive outcomes in the specified population (Moyle, Parker, & Bramble, 2014).
The implementation of the planned intervention based on Hopkins’ nursing evidence-based practice model will improve management practices at the healthcare facility and generate evidence in terms of the cost-effectiveness of the project and the patients’ feedback. The evidence-based origin of the research question is also supported by the positive outcomes that were found in the relevant literature on palliative care teams in general (Becker, 2015). The researcher believes that the implementation of this practitioner-led intervention will positively affect the department and help to validate the previous findings in the area in addition to the hypotheses of the study.
References
Becker, R. (2015). Fundamental aspects of palliative care nursing: An evidence-based handbook for student nurses (2nd ed.). London, UK: Quay Books.
Matzo, M., & Sherman, D. (2014). Palliative care nursing: Quality care to the end of life (4th ed.). New York, NY: Springer.
Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2015). Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: A guide to best practice (2nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health.
Moyle, W., Parker, D., & Bramble, M. (2014). Care of older adults: A strengths-based approach. Port Melbourne, Australia: Cambridge University Press.