| Course | BUSI 619 Quality Assessment and Evidence Based Decision Making (BUSI619) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 1 |
| Assignment | PICO Assignment |
| Paper type | PICO question with evidence-based practice rationale |
| Length | about 472 words, 2 double-spaced pages plus title page and references. Course guide: a PICO question with a 50 to 75 word paragraph linking the topic to evidence-based practice and a reference list of 3 to 5 peer-reviewed primary research articles, in current APA format |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| Points | 100 |
| School | Liberty University Online |
| Program | MS in Healthcare Administration |
| Where it sits | Module/Week 1 in Liberty's published BUSI 619 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUSI 619 Week 1
Does Patient Navigation Shorten the Wait for a Diagnosis? A PICO Question for a Safety-Net Health System
[Student Name]
School of Business, Liberty University
BUSI 619: Quality Assessment and Evidence Based Decision Making
PICO Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The health system and its follow-up data are composites; the textbook and every primary research article listed are real.
Does Patient Navigation Shorten the Wait for a Diagnosis? A PICO Question for a Safety-Net Health System
Problem and Setting
Our safety-net health system serves about 180,000 patients across 14 clinics, most of them publicly insured or uninsured. A review of last year's records found that only 61% of patients with an abnormal screening mammogram, Pap test or fecal immunochemical test reached a diagnostic resolution, a confirmed diagnosis or a benign finding, within 90 days, and 14% had no documented follow-up after a year. Each patient lost after an abnormal result is either a cancer that may be found late or a fear that is never put to rest. The delays are worst for patients without cars, without paid sick leave or with limited English, and they cluster at the four clinics farthest from the hospital's imaging and endoscopy departments. Leaders have proposed hiring patient navigators, staff who guide patients through scheduling, transportation, insurance and fear, but first want proof that navigators earn their salaries. Four navigators would cost about $280,000 a year with benefits, money that could instead fund extra mammography hours or a mobile screening van, so the decision deserves a careful look at what the research shows.
PICO Question
Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt (2015) teach that a sound question spells out who is affected, what is being tried, what it is tried against and what result matters, so each piece becomes a search term and the answer can be judged against it. The question for this review is: Among adults with an abnormal breast, cervical or colorectal cancer screening result in a safety-net health system (P), does patient navigation (I), compared with usual follow-up care (C), shorten the time to diagnostic resolution and increase the proportion resolved within one year (O)?
| Element | Definition for this review |
|---|---|
| Population | Adults with an abnormal breast, cervical or colorectal screening result, served by safety-net or community clinics |
| Intervention | Patient navigation by lay or clinical navigators from the abnormal result to diagnostic resolution |
| Comparison | Usual care, meaning standard notification and referral without a navigator |
| Outcome | Time from abnormal result to diagnostic resolution, and the proportion resolved within 365 days |
Link to Evidence-Based Practice
Evidence-based practice asks leaders to combine the best research with organizational data and patient values before committing resources. Our follow-up delays are measurable, and patient navigation is a defined intervention tested in randomized trials. Answering this question lets the system decide whether to fund navigators based on demonstrated effects on diagnostic timeliness rather than on enthusiasm, and to design the program around populations the research shows benefit most.
Search Note
I searched PubMed and CINAHL using the terms patient navigation, navigator, abnormal screening, diagnostic resolution and time to diagnosis, limited to English-language studies of adults, and selected randomized or controlled studies that reported time to resolution.
Preliminary References
Freund et al. (2014) pooled data from the multisite Patient Navigation Research Program, covering 10,521 patients with abnormal screening tests, and found that navigation improved diagnostic resolution between 91 and 365 days. Raich et al. (2012) conducted an individually randomized trial of 993 patients at Denver Health. Paskett et al. (2012) ran a group-randomized trial of 862 patients in 18 Ohio clinics. Lee et al. (2013) ran a cluster randomized trial of patients with breast screening abnormalities in 10 Tampa Bay clinics. All four report original data and measure time to resolution, the outcome in the question.
References
Freund, K. M., Battaglia, T. A., Calhoun, E., Darnell, J. S., Dudley, D. J., Fiscella, K., Hare, M. L., LaVerda, N., Lee, J., Levine, P., Murray, D. M., Patierno, S. R., Raich, P. C., Roetzheim, R. G., Simon, M., Snyder, F. R., Warren-Mears, V., Whitley, E. M., Winters, P., . . . Paskett, E. D. (2014). Impact of patient navigation on timely cancer care: The Patient Navigation Research Program. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 106(6), dju115. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/dju115
Lee, J. H., Fulp, W., Wells, K. J., Meade, C. D., Calcano, E., & Roetzheim, R. (2013). Patient navigation and time to diagnostic resolution: Results for a cluster randomized trial evaluating the efficacy of patient navigation among patients with breast cancer screening abnormalities, Tampa, FL. PLOS ONE, 8(9), e74542. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0074542
Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2015). Evidence-based practice in nursing and healthcare: A guide to best practice (3rd ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
Paskett, E. D., Katz, M. L., Post, D. M., Pennell, M. L., Young, G. S., Seiber, E. E., Harrop, J. P., DeGraffinreid, C. R., Tatum, C. M., Dean, J. A., & Murray, D. M. (2012). The Ohio Patient Navigation Research Program: Does the American Cancer Society patient navigation model improve time to resolution in patients with abnormal screening tests? Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 21(10), 1620-1628. https://doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-12-0523
Raich, P. C., Whitley, E. M., Thorland, W., Valverde, P., & Fairclough, D. (2012). Patient navigation improves cancer diagnostic resolution: An individually randomized clinical trial in an underserved population. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 21(10), 1629-1638. https://doi.org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-12-0513
What the BUSI 619 Week 1 instructions ask
BUSI 619 asks for the PICO Assignment in its opening module/week, the week that also assigns Melnyk and Fineout-Overholt's first three chapters, three short presentations and a website, plus the first forum and the usual start-of-course checklist and introductions. Students create a question in PICO form, Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome, and write a paragraph of 50 to 75 words explaining how the topic connects to evidence-based practice. The assignment ends with a reference list of three to five peer-reviewed primary research articles in current APA format, which means original studies rather than reviews, editorials or guidelines. This question becomes the foundation for the literature matrices, introduction, synthesis, final review and presentation that follow, so choosing a topic with enough primary research matters more than finding the most interesting one.
How this BUSI 619 Week 1 example is built
First comes the problem at a safety-net health system: patients with abnormal screening results who wait too long for diagnostic follow-up. The PICO question follows, split into a four-row table whose definitions are tight enough to steer a database search. The required 50 to 75 word paragraph explains why the question is an evidence-based practice question for an administrator. A brief search note describes the databases and terms used. The reference list gives four primary research articles from the Patient Navigation Research Program, including randomized trials at Denver Health and in Ohio and Tampa, each with a one-line note on why it qualifies as primary research and how it answers part of the question.
BUSI 619 Week 1 grading rubric: where the points go
The PICO Assignment in BUSI 619 is generally graded on whether the question contains all four elements in a clear, searchable form, whether the 50 to 75 word paragraph explains the link to evidence-based practice within the word limit, whether the three to five references are peer-reviewed primary research rather than reviews and whether APA formatting is correct. Faculty look for a population and outcome that are specific enough to search, such as a defined patient group and a measurable result. Questions about an intervention that has no primary research behind it cause trouble later in the course, so instructors may comment on feasibility. Precision in the paragraph's word count is part of following directions, which matters in a course about disciplined evidence use.
BUSI 619 Week 1 help: mistakes that cost points
Start with a problem you have seen that has a measurable outcome, such as delays, readmissions, infections or missed appointments. Write the question in PICO form, then test each element: is the population defined, is the intervention specific, is there a real comparison and can the outcome be measured? Run a quick search in PubMed or CINAHL to confirm that primary studies exist before committing. Write the 50 to 75 word paragraph last, and count it. For the reference list, open each article and confirm it reports original data, such as data from a trial, a cohort or a survey, rather than summarizing other studies. Keep notes on the search terms, since the final review in Module/Week 7 requires a search history.
Related BUSI 619 sample papers
Other BUSI 619 weeks
- BUSI 619 Week 2: Literature Matrix Part 1
- BUSI 619 Week 3: Literature Matrix Part 2
- BUSI 619 Week 4: Literature Review Introduction
- BUSI 619 Week 5: Literature Review Synthesis
- BUSI 619 Week 6: Discussion Board Forum 7
- BUSI 619 Week 7: Literature Review Final
- BUSI 619 Week 8: Literature Review Presentation
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BUSI 619 Week 1 questions, answered
What is the BUSI 619 PICO Assignment?
A 100-point Module/Week 1 assignment in which students write a PICO question, a 50 to 75 word paragraph linking it to evidence-based practice and a list of three to five primary research articles.
Where can I find a free BUSI 619 Week 1 sample paper?
The full BUSI 619 Week 1 PICO assignment on this page asks whether patient navigation shortens time to diagnosis after abnormal cancer screening, with four primary studies in APA format.
What does PICO stand for?
Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome. Together the four elements turn a vague concern into a question precise enough to search databases and to judge the studies that come back.
What counts as a primary research article in BUSI 619?
An article that reports original data from a study the authors conducted, for example a trial, a cohort follow-up or a survey, rather than a review, guideline or opinion piece.
What else is due in BUSI 619 Module/Week 1?
The course requirements checklist, class introductions and Discussion Board Forum 1 are due with the PICO Assignment, and Module/Week 1 ends on a Friday.
Use it as a model, or ask for your own
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