Each student will choose a PICO question on a clinical nursing topic of interest and develop a critical appraisal of the literature for application to nursing practice. The PICO question will first be approved by the professor; then 5-8 references will be submitted for review (a minimum of 5 must be peer reviewed research articles from professional nursing journals); followed by individual summaries and critiques of the references; then, submission of the final paper with Professor’s feedback incorporated into the final version. Each student will post a brief summary power point presentation of their findings on the assigned day and respond to classmate remarks. Detailed grading criteria will be provided for the presentation.

This 5-6 page paper must be completed in APA format (1” margins, double spaced, 12 font) including a cover page and reference page with a minimum of 5-8 references (not included in page number). No abstract is required.

Criteria

Possible Points

I. Identified Clinical Question (PICO)

8

Clinical question was clearly identified by:

a. Problem

2

b. Intervention

2

c. Comparison

2

d. Outcome

2

II. Review of Evidence

30

• Identify scientific evidence to help inform the treatment decision or intervention to be implemented

15

• Synthesis of the 5-8 research articles (minimum of 5 from nursing)

15

III. Implication for Nursing Practice

30

Detail discussion of how these findings can or should be implemented in your clinical practice or established as a standard of care:

a. Evidence provided to support decision

5

b. Discuss or describe the nursing role

5

c. Discuss patient teaching related to the intervention

5

d. Discuss how current care would be changed or improved

5

e. Discuss or explain why this would be good to implement if supported by evidence. (i.e. decrease hospital stay, decrease use of pain meds)

or Discuss or explain why this would not be good to implement if supported by evidence. (i.e. too costly, not safe)

5

f. The need or justification for future research if indicated

5

VI. Quality of Writing

12

1. Organization & Flow (use of headings)

5

2. Grammar & spelling

2

3. Proper sentence structure

2

4. Succinct & concise (Adhered to page limit; not to exceed 6 pages)

3

V. APA formatting

20

1. Cover page: Running head; Title, name, & affiliation is centered

1

2. First page: Title; Page numbering

1

3. Proper use of APA within text

5

4. Citations within the body of the paper (references, quotes, author, year)

5

5. Citations in body of paper match reference list, reference list matches citations in text

1

6. Reference page: (title centered, hanging indent & spacing)

2

7. Formatting of references (alphabetical order, author, year, lowercase, italicized, right type, doi)

5