Guidance for writing your problem statements or INTRODUCTION

Problem Statement/Intro “Sets the stage” for your PICOT question; Why is this PICOT question important? Helps the reader understand the issue(s) that will be examined in your EBP-related question Provides factual information related to the focus of your PICOT rather than simply offering anecdotal clinical information

Example: If my question focused on whether depression and smoking had an impact on bone accrual in adolescent girls . . . Then my problem statement would include key points (using references) related to prevalence, relevance, and impact regarding: Why we are concerned about the outcome of bone accrual--- (low bone mass makes one more likely to be osteoporotic; define, osteoporosis, provide stats on how prevalent osteoporosis/fracture is and its costs, and the fact that 50% of mass is accrued in adolescence so . . . . We need to think about ways to maximize bone mass in adolescence! Why depression may matter (rates increase in puberty---especially in girls; adults women with depression more likely to be osteoporotic)

Other examples: Think about what might be included in a problem statement/intro if you were focusing on: comparing treatments (standard care vs a new drug) for lupus in reproductive aged women or deciding if Educational Strategy 1 was more effective than Educational Strategy 2 for teaching undergraduate nursing students X procedure. Write your answers down before you look at the next slide!

For comparing treatments (standard care vs a new drug) for lupus in reproductive aged women I would include statements about: Define lupus and how common lupus is in this age group of women (refs in APA format) What the ramifications of the disease (including morbidity/mortality, public health costs); (refs) What the issues are with standard care treatment (efficacy, costs, side effects etc.) (refs) Why the new drug may be more effective and what evidence is out there for the new drug.

Medical journals usually have shorter intros than psych Another way to learn about introductions is by reading the intro of several empirical articles (data based studies addressing research questions or hypotheses) More helpful intros for this project are found in medical journals compared to psych-related journals Medical journals usually have shorter intros than psych Intros always need to talk about each component of the question not matter what the length is Remember, the intro/background for your assignment will be longer than what you see in the examples of posters. I give you feedback on what is in your intro/background assignment. When you do this component of your poster you will have a shorter version that uses bullet points for the key points.