PICO/PS Parts
In PICO, what does the P stand for?
Population
Concerned with uncovering and describing the ordinary conscious experience of everyday life as people experience them
Descriptive Phenomenology
Participants come forward to identify themselves
Convenience sampling
The extent to which findings have meaning to others in similar settings
Transferability
Using multiple data sources to validate conclusions
Triangulation
What is missingin this PICO question: In elderly patients, does mindfulness meditation improve sleep quality?
Comparator
Focuses on the description and interpretation of cultural or social groups
Ethnography
Selecting cases/groups who can provide data that helps develop an emerging theory
Theoretical sampling
The stability of data over time and over conditions
Dependability
Providing feedback to participants about emerging interpretations; obtaining their reactions
Member-checking
When would you choose PS instead of PICO?
When you are looking to explore a phenomenon qualitatively
The aim of this methodology is to generate theory that explains a pattern of behaviour of a defined group of people
Grounded theory
Early sample members are asked to refer others who meet the eligibility criteria
Snowball sampling
Confidence in the truth of the data and interpretations
Credibility
Attending to researcher’s effect on data (i.e. documentation of ideas, thoughts, assumptions, and beliefs and comparing these to the findings)
Reflexivity
Give an example of a Comparison in a PICO question about wound care
Example: could compare VAC therapy to standard pressure dressing
This design can have diverse design/methods and seeks to holistically describe phenomena
Qualitative description
Selecting cases that will best contribute to study
Purposive/purposeful sampling
The extent to which researchers fairly and faithfully show a range of different realities
Authenticity
Systematic documentation of decisions to guide reader through analytic process, can include memo-ing and diagramming
Audit trail
Identify the P and the S: “What are the lived experiences of ICU nurses during COVID-19?”
P: ICU Nurses
S: lived experience of COVID-19
Emphasis on interpreting and understanding lived experience
Interpretive phenomenology
Sampling participants/cases with a wide range of variation on dimensions of interest
Maximum variation sampling
Neutrality of the data; that the findings reflect the participants’ voices and the conditions of the inquiry, not solely the researchers’ perspectives
Confirmability
Specific search for cases that appear to challenge or validate emerging findings
Negative case analysis