1. What are you proposing as the topic for your EBP project?

I am proposing my topic for the EBP project, psychiatric care, and

mental health issues in adolescences.

2. Why is this topic of interest to you? I chose this topic because, as a

Psychiatric nurse, I work with adolescents with mental health

disorders, and I would like to talk about it. People mostly don’t

believe it or mention it due to its stigma when it comes to mental

health. A lot of time, it is hidden. due to the increasing number of

adolescents with psychiatric symptoms became unrecognized in

our current health care system, the ability to identify and treat

these issues in many health care settings has become vitally

important (Yearwood, al, el, 2012).

3. Would you classify the topic related to service, practice, or patient

outcomes? I would classify this topic as practice and patient

outcome.

In the outpatient setting, would educating clinic staff (or whoeve r) on

the signs and symptoms of mental illness in adolescents vs (whatever

current practice is) help with early intervention and treatment?

Paus, Giedd, J. N., & Keshavan, M. (2008). Why do many psychiatric disorders emerge during
adolescence? Nature Reviews. Neuroscience, 9(12), 947–957. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2513

Yearwood, Pearson, G. S., & Newland, J. A. (2012). Child and adolescent behavioral health : a
resource for advanced practice psychiatric and primary care practitioners in nursing. Wiley-
Blackwell.

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Appendix B: Question Development Tool

1. What is the problem?

2. Why is the problem important and relevant? What would happen if it were not addressed?

3. What is the current practice?

4. How was the problem identified? (Check all that apply.)

❑ Safety and risk-management concerns

❑ Quality concerns (efficiency,
effectiveness, timeliness, equity, patient-
centeredness)

❑ Unsatisfactory patient, staff, or
organizational outcomes

❑ Variations in practice within the setting

❑ Variations in practice compared to community
standard

❑ Current practice that has not been validated

❑ Financial concerns

5. What are the PICO components?

P – (Patient, population, or problem)

I – (Intervention)

C – (Comparison with other interventions, if foreground question)

O – (Outcomes are qualitative or quantitative measures to determine the success of change)

6. Initial EBP question ❑ Background ❑ Foreground

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Appendix B: Question Development Tool

7. List possible search terms, databases to search, and search strategies.

8. What evidence must be gathered? (Check all that apply.)

❑ Publications (e.g., EBSCOHost, PubMed,
CINAHL, Embase)

❑ Standards (regulatory, professional,
community)

❑ Guidelines

❑ Organizational data (e.g., QI, financial data, local
clinical expertise, patient/family preferences)

❑ Position statements

9. Revised EBP question

(Revisions in the EBP question may not be evident until after the initial evidence review; the revision
can be in the background question or a change from the background to a foreground question.)

10. Outcome measurement plan

What will we
measure?

(structure,
process,
outcome
measure)

How will we
measure it?

(metrics are
expressed as

rate or percent)

How often will
we measure it?

(frequency)

Where will we
obtain the

data?

Who will
collect the data?

To whom will
we report the

data?

Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice

Appendix B: Question Development Tool

Directions for Use of the Question Development Tool

Purpose

This form is used to develop an answerable EBP question and to guide the team in the

evidence search process. The question, search terms, search strategy, and sources of

evidence can be revised as the EBP team refines the EBP question.

What is the problem, and why is it important?

Indicate why the project was undertaken. What led the team to seek evidence?

Ensure that the problem statement defines the actual problem and does not include a

solution. Whenever possible, quantify the extent of the problem. Validate the final

problem description with practicing staff. It is important for the inter- professional

team to take the time together to reflect, gather information, observe current practice,

listen to clinicians, visualize how the process can be different or improved, and probe

the problem description in order to develop a shared under- standing of the problem.

What is the current practice?

Define the current practice as it relates to the problem. Think about current policies and

procedures. Observe practices. What do you see?

How was the problem identified?

Check all the statements that apply.

What are the PICO components?

P (patient, population, problem) e.g., age, sex, setting, ethnicity, condition, disease, type

of patient, or population

I (intervention) e.g., treatment, medication, education, diagnostic test, or best

practice(s)

C (comparison with other interventions or current practice for foreground questions; is

not applicable for background questions, which identify best practice)

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Appendix B: Question Development Tool

O (outcomes) stated in measurable terms; may be a structure, a process, or an

outcome measure based on the desired change (e.g., decrease in falls, decrease in length

of stay, increase in patient satisfaction)

Initial EBP question

A starting question (usually a background question) that is often refined and adjusted as

the team searches through the literature:

■■ Background questions are broad and are used when the team has little knowledge,

experience, or expertise in the area of interest. Background questions are often used

to identify best practices.

■■ Foreground questions are focused, with specific comparisons of two or more ideas or

interventions. Foreground questions provide specific bodies of evidence related to the

EBP question. Foreground questions often flow from an initial background question

and literature review.

List possible search terms, databases to search, and search strategies.

Using PICO components and the initial EBP question, list search terms. Terms can be added

or adjusted throughout the evidence search. Document the search terms, search strategy,

and databases queried in sufficient detail for replication.

What evidence must be gathered?

Check the types of evidence the team will gather based on the PICO and initial EBP

question.

Revised EBP question

Often, the question that you start with may not be the final EBP question. Back- ground

questions can be refined or changed to a foreground question based on the evidence

review. Foreground questions are focused questions that include specific comparisons and

produce a narrower range of evidence.

Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice

Appendix B: Question Development Tool

Measurement plan

Measures can be added or changed as the review of the literature is completed and

the translation planning begins:

■■ A measure is an amount or a degree of something, such as number of falls with

injury. Each measure must be converted to a metric, which is calculated before

and after implementing the change.

■■ Metrics let you know whether the change was successful. They have a numerator

and a denominator and are typically expressed as rates or percent. For

example, a metric for the measure falls-with-injury would be the number of falls

with injury (numerator) divided by 1,000 patient days (denominator). Other

examples of metrics include the number of direct care RNs (numerator) on a

unit divided by the total number of direct care staff (denominator); the number

of medication errors divided by 1,000 orders.