Practice Question
In the following PICOT question, what is the intervention and comparison? PICOT: In adults with anxiety disorder, is meditation as effective as exercise to reduce the individual's perceived level of stress?
Answer Choices:
Correct Answer:
Meditation vs. exercise
Rationale:
🟣 PICOT defines the research structure: Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Time.
🟣 In this question, the intervention is meditation, and the comparison is exercise, because the study examines which one is more effective.
🟣 The wording “is meditation as effective as exercise” directly identifies the intervention and comparison elements of PICOT.
🟣 Interventions must be actionable, measurable, and modifiable, which both meditation and exercise meet.
🟣 Therefore, the correct PICOT elements for I (Intervention) and C (Comparison) are meditation vs. exercise.
Effectiveness of meditation
🟣 This describes the outcome, not the intervention or comparison.
🟣 “Effectiveness” refers to the result of practicing meditation, not the element being compared.
🟣 In PICOT, outcomes answer “what is being measured?”, not “what is being done?”
🟣 Because this is an outcome measure, not an intervention, it cannot represent the I or C components.
🟣 Therefore, this option is incorrect.
Reduce individual's perceived level of stress
🟣 This describes the desired outcome of the PICOT question.
🟣 An outcome answers “What do we hope to change?”, which in this case is reducing stress.
🟣 This is not an intervention or comparison but rather the result being evaluated.
🟣 Outcomes focus on impact, not procedures or treatments.
🟣 Thus, it cannot be identified as the I/C element.
Adults with anxiety disorder
🟣 This describes the population, not the intervention or comparison.
🟣 PICOT begins with P = Who is being studied?, and this option identifies the target group.
🟣 Population does not describe a treatment or alternative treatment.
🟣 Therefore, it is not the correct answer for this question.
🟣 This option clearly belongs in the P category, not I or C.
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This question is from Examplify NR449 Quiz2 Mod2 BSNOL Nov25 which contains 9 questions.
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Question Details
- Category: RN Nursing Exam(s)
- Subcategory: Examplify Exam(s)
- Domain: Leadership
- Answer Choices: 4