Nurses in Prevention of Hospital-Acquired Infections

Research Critiques and PICOT Question Guidelines –
Final Draft
Use this document to organize the content from your four studies into your final draft.
Quantitative and Quantitative Studies
Nursing Practice Problem and PICOT Question
1 What is your identified nursing practice problem?
The problem identified is hospital-acquired infections or HAIs, as they are commonly known. According to the CDC, HAIs are fast becoming a major problem in the healthcare sector. CDC reports that there is one patient out of 31 who has a hospital-acquired infection at any given point. Aside from the above, medical costs are also incurred, amounting to $28.4 billion (CDC, 2021). Also, other costs associated with lost productivity and death are said to amount to $12.4 billion (2021). For example, the loss or incapacitation of a nurse due to the acquisition of HAIs greatly impacts patient outcomes because of the curtailed productivity. Therefore, there is a need to find a lasting solution that can help reduce the prevalence of HAIs on patients and, especially, nurses. The nursing practice is a major cog in the healthcare sector. So, there is a need to ensure that measures are adopted to protect the nursing practice through the protection of the nurses.
2 List your PICOT question, following one of the templated formats reviewed in the course.
PICOT Question: What is the effectiveness of hand hygiene in preventing hospital-acquired infections in intensive care units among nurses and patients?
P – Nurses and patients.
I – Hand hygiene.
C – No hand hygiene.
O – Reduced rate of hospital-acquired infections.
T – Not defined, but the outcome should be evident with time.
Background
1 Summary of studies. Include problem, significance to nursing, purpose, objective, and research question.
Kirtil and Akyuz’s study titled “Precautions Taken by Nurses about the Prevention of Hospital-Acquired Infections in Intensive Care Units” mainly seeks to investigate some of the procedures nurses take as they seek to reduce the rate of HAIs in intensive care units. Questionnaires were used in the collection of data, and the sample size was 85 nurses. This is a significant study for the nursing practice as it helps to showcase some of the ways that nurses are employing or could employ in the intensive care unit to help reduce the prevalence of HAIs. Further, the study reveals that while it is highly likely for healthcare organizations to ignore hand hygiene protocols, it is a method that has a great impact in reducing HAIs.
Salama et al.’s study titled “The Effect of Hand Hygiene Compliance on Hospital-Acquired Infections in an ICU Setting in a Kuwaiti Teaching Hospital” is an interventional study was sought to determine whether education regarding hand hygiene could lead to increase compliance as well as reduced rates of HAIs in the intensive care unit. This study is significant to nursing because it first assesses how understanding the importance of hand hygiene could help influence more nurses to practice hand hygiene, especially while in the ICU. The study sought to answer whether hand hygiene education could help enhance hand hygiene compliance among healthcare professionals and reduce HAIs. In the end, the interventional study did reveal that education helps increase compliance which directly leads to reducing HAIs in the ICU.
The study by Fox and colleagues titled “Use of a Patient Hand Hygiene Protocol to Reduce Hospital-Acquired Infections and Improve Nurses Hand Washing” seeks to attain the goal indicated in the title. The study, a pre-experimental study design, introduces a hand hygiene protocol on patients as a precautionary measure to help reduce HAIs while also helping enhance hand-washing compliance in the ICU. The significance of the study to nursing is quite straightforward as it seeks to ensure protection for both patients and nurses who happen to be closer to patients than other healthcare professionals. Therefore, there is a need to introduce better and cleaner practices that guarantees greater health for patients and protection to nurses.
Finally, the study by Haverstick et al. titled “Patients’ Hand Washing and Reducing Hospital-Acquired Infection” investigates the importance of patients’ hand washing as a way that helps in the reduction of HAIs. The study’s objective was to improve patients’ hand hygiene through education and promotion of hand washing to reduce HAIs. The study is quite significant in the nursing practice as it helps to showcase how patients can be sensitized to the importance of hand hygiene and its use in helping reduce HAIs. Further, it is crucial to mention that the protection of patients will also impact the health of nurses and other healthcare professionals.
How do these four articles support the nurse practice issue you chose?
1 Discuss how these articles will be used to answer your PICOT question.
The quantitative articles by Fox et al. (2015) and Haverstick (2017) will help answer the PICOT question by showcasing how improving patients’ hand hygiene can help reduce HAIs while also protecting other healthcare professionals, especially nurses.
Kirtil and Akyuz’s (2018) article will answer the PICOT question by helping to showcase how hand hygiene is among the precautions nurses take as they set out to reduce HAIs. Further, it will showcase the effectiveness of hand hygiene as an intervention aimed at reducing HAIs.
Salama et al.’s (2013) article will help answer the PICOT question by showcasing how education on hand hygiene can help to improve compliance of hand hygiene while also reducing HAIs.
2 Describe how the interventions and comparison groups in the articles compare to those identified in your PICOT question.
The intervention and comparison groups in the articles are divided between those who practice hand hygiene and those who do not. In the intervention group, the results show that there is improved compliance as well as a reduction in HAIs. There are no major differences between the intervention group and the one in the PICOT question apart from the fact that some articles included physicians in their study. The same goes for comparison groups which do not have major differences as well.
Method of Study:
1 State the methods of the articles you are comparing and describe how they are different.
Salama et al.’s (2013) study used an interventional study similar to Haverstick et al.’s (2017) study. In both studies, outcomes pre-and post-intervention were compared. However, the methods differ in data collection, in Salama et al.’s study, observational methods were used to collect data, while in Haverstick et al.’s study, a-question survey was used to collect data.
Kirtil and Akyuz (2018) study made use of questionnaires in the collection of data. This study was different because it did not compare the outcomes pre-and post-intervention. The goal was to determine the ways or methods nurses use to prevent HAIs in the ICU.
Fox et al.’s (2015) study used a pre-experimental study design to compare the difference in 12-month rates of two common HAIs. This method is similar to interventional studies because of introducing a new protocol and measures the rates before and after the intervention was introduced. The difference is in the time taken to cond...