Homework Lance
Hospital Acquired Infections
GCU
Professional Capstone
Hospital Acquired Infections
Background Information
Hospital Acquired Infections have been identified as the most hazardous events in the health care settings. Different factors trigger the transmission of the diseases. Environmental factors and exposure to the invasive structures have been identified as the contributing factors to nosocomial diseases (Arefian et al, 2016). Failure to take into consideration the personal cleanliness and hygiene among the health care employees can also result in the emergence of hospital acquired infections. Since the nosocomial infections have become a global issue, it is imperative to address the possible causes and the risk factors of the Hospital Acquired Infections. Since the lack of cleanliness is identified the primary cause of the hospital acquired infections, it is imperative to deploy the measure that will work towards enhancing cleanliness and personal hygiene among the patients, staff members, and the community.
Problem Statement
Hospital Acquired Infections has been identified as one of the adverse events in the health care settings (Arefian et al, 2016). As such, it is imperative to address the issue through the evaluation of the causative and risk factors associated with the challenge. Typically, the problem emerges as a result of inadequate cleanliness and proper hygiene in the health care settings.
Purpose of the Change Proposal
The primary goal of the proposed change proposal is to aid in reducing the rate at which the Hospital Acquired Infections are transmitted. The move also aims at promoting overall wellness of the patients and the health care workers by ensuring that they stay in a clean environment. Through the use of washing detergents and offering education to the stakeholders, the proposed change aims at promoting proper healthy.
Picot
PICOT statement stands for population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, and the time needed for the solution of the identified clinical problem. One of the examples of the clinical problem is the hospital acquired infections. There are several practices which lead to severe infections in the hospitals (Boswell & Cannon (Eds.), 2014). Failure to observe the proper hygiene and cleanliness among the workers can lead to the identified problem in the healthcare. However, the problem can be solved by intervention. This involves identifying the problem and solving it using the PICOT statement (Rios & Thabane, 2010). Herein, the hospital acquired infections can be addressed by analyzing the possible causes in the hospitals by the workforce.
The hospital acquired infections, being one of the identified problems is the problem which arises as a result of lack of proper hygiene and cleanliness in the hospitals. This aspect becomes a challenge because of its outcomes, as several clinical departments have addressed the issue as being the result of infections. The evidence-based solution for this problem is that the workforce for the clinics should observe the proper hygiene because cleanliness is the paramount aspect of the clinical environment (Thomas, Ciliska, Dobbins &Micucci, 2004).
On the other hand, the nursing intervention which should be done is that the responsible clinical officers and nurses should introduce the detergents for washing in clinics. This will help in reducing the possible infections in the clinical environment. Moreover, the patient-care which should be provided to the patients are the strategies which explain how to reduce infections. Providing care to the patients is one of the significant approaches which can ensure that they are well maintained and prevented from other infections. Additionally, the healthcare agency is an intervention or the activity which should be done to prevent the infections (Shekelle, Ortiz, Rhodes, Morton, Eccles, Grimshaw& Woolf, 2001). Therefore, the healthcare agency which should be practiced is supplying the medical tools and drugs which will reduce the infections. This is the same as nursing practice because it involves providing the possible care for the patients. Nursing practices entail regular checking the infections in the patients and providing the drugs which will cure them.
Regarding the PICOT statement, this is a strategy which is followed to solve the problem identified. It involves the population, intervention, comparison, outcomes, and the time taken to resolve the issue. Herein, the problem identified is the acquired hospital infections due to the lack of cleanliness. The intervention which is required is to provide the strategies and approaches which should be followed to prevent infections. The comparison of the addressed issue entails the alternative solutions which should be practiced. The alternative solution includes providing lesson plans for the community regarding prevention of the infections. The outcomes of the issue addressed will be the full health of the patients when the proper strategies are followed. The time frame of the discussed issue will depend on the approaches which are provided and how soon the methods should take effect. The effectiveness of the problem and the solutions offered depends on the effort which the clinical officers will take in solving and preventing the acquired hospital infections.
Literature Search Strategy Employed
In the literature search, key words were used in a bid to identify the appropriate research for the topic under study. The terms, Hospital Acquired Infections, nursing theories, causes of nosocomial infections were deployed in a bid to find the relevant literature. The information provided in the sources met the information needs, and the authors of the sources had the authority and qualification of writing the materials.
Summary of Literature Evaluation
The sources that were used for information in the study are relevant since they center on the topic of Hospital Acquired Infections and the nursing theories. Besides, they are current since most of them were written between the year 2010 and 2017.
Literature Review
Hospital Acquired Infections are connoted as the diseases that are caused by fungal, bacterial and viral pathogens.Barrasa-Villar et al (2017) defines hospital acquired infections as the infection that develops after the patient has been admitted to the hospital. However, Barrasa-Villar et al (2017) points out that immunocompromised patients due to risk factors such as surgical treatment and Age are highly prone to nosocomial infections. The researcher also observes that the rate of hospital acquired infections is higher among the adults and pediatric Intensive Care Unit patients. Similarly, Haverstick (2017) portends that the rate of nosocomial infection depends on the infection site. For instance, antibiotics resistant pathogens cause infections especially in the ICU thus contributing to the increased incidence of the nosocomial infections.
The prevalence of the nosocomial infection has risen sporadically especially in the developed hospitals. Various researchers have made attempts to explore on the how the rate of hospital Acquired infections can be reducedBarrasa-Villar et al (2017). Moreover, the scholars have researched on the risk factors associated with the increase in the hospital acquired infections. Drawing illustrations from the evidence based information, researchers have found out that hospital hygiene is imperative in preventing the spread of hospital acquired infectionsBarrasa-Villar et al (2017). For this reason, the nurses should come up with various interventions that are aimed at promoting hygiene within the health centers. One of the nursing intervention that should be embraced is the use of detergents in cleaning the health care setting and ensuring that are the structures remain clean.
The patients should also be given information on the strategies they should employ in a bid to control the spread of the infections. According to the study conducted byMargel et al,(2017), it was postulated that practicing hand hygiene can play a significant role in reducing the transmission of Hospital Acquired Infections. Studies have demonstrated that hand washing aids in decreasing the amount of methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) pathogens (Nekkab et al, 2017). Hygienic hand disinfection on the part of the nurses and physicians before carrying out of the invasive procedure and before contacting patients with common risk factors such burn and Leukemia patients will aid in reducing the rate of Hospital Acquired Infections.
Applicable Change or Nursing Theory Utilized
The nursing theory used in this study is the system model nursing theory. According to the theoretical assumption, nurses should deploy the use of various interventions to promote the total wellness of the patients. This theory was postulated by Betty Neuman who further argues that the nurses should work towards maintaining the wellness of the patient (Neuman and Reed, 2007).The theorists also affirm that the nurses should try their level best to reduce the rate of stress invasion among the patients.
Moreover, the health providers should embrace the use of tertiary, secondary and primary prevention models in a bid to curb further infection on the side of the patients. Regarding primary prevention, the health care centers should be kept clean to reduce the risk factors that contribute to the spread of hospital infectious diseases. According to the theory, environment entails both the internal and external factors that surround the patient and in which people interact at any given time (Newman, 2005). Regarding the problem of evaluation, it is important to work in line with the theory in a bid to promote personal hygiene and cleanliness among the patients and the staff members. This strategy is aimed at reducing the rate of nosocomial infections.
Proposed Implementation Plan
Stating of the objectives
In a bid to solve the identified problem, it is imperative for the health care centers to establish the objectives that the proposed change should accomplish. As stated earlier, the change is targeted towards reducing the rate of hospital acquired infections. As such, the primary objective of the plan is to ensure personal hygiene and cleanliness among the patients and the staff members a factor that will contribute to the reduction of nosocomial infections.
Evaluating of the Current Situation
The health care managers should assess the standards of hygiene in the respective health care settings. In this case, the areas and departments that lack adequate personal cleanliness and hygiene should be critically evaluated. The health care managers should identify the congested areas and structure a way in which the congestion should be reduced. They will consider increasing the number of beds and rooms for the patients.
Identification and formation of the Committee that will address the change
After the evaluation of the current condition, a committee will be formed in which every member will be tasked with a particular responsibility. The risk assessor, case managers, head of various departments and community representatives are among the members who will be included in the committee.
Evaluation of the Costs and Benefits
The chosen committee will carry out an estimation of the expenses associated with the implementation of the proposed change. In this case, they will determine the expenses of purchasing the detergents and the costs of training the staff members and the patients on the use of detergent and hand disinfectants.
Purchase of the Detergents and Offering of Training to the Patients and the Staff Members and the Community
After assessing the costs and expenses, the detergents should be purchased, and the patients, staff, and community will receive training and education on the use of the detergents. Moreover, they will be taught the importance of proper personal sanitation and cleanliness and how it contributes in curbing hospital acquired infections.
Potential Barriers to Plan Implementation and How to Overcome Them
The Cost of Purchasing the Required Materials
One of the obstacles associated with the implementation of the proposed plan is that the health care center may lack enough funds to cater for the necessary materials. However, they will be required to seek additional funds from the government agencies in a bid to support the initiative.
Lack of Cooperation from the Patients and the Community Members
The patients and the community members may fail to cooperate especially in the aspect of personal hygiene. Regular monitoring and providing of education to the patients and the community members will aid in curbing the challenge.
References
Arefian, H., Vogel, M., Kwetkat, A., & Hartmann, M. (2016). Economic Evaluation of Interventions for Prevention of Hospital Acquired Infections: A Systematic Review. Plos ONE, 11(1), 1-15. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0146381
Barrasa-Villar, J. I., Aibar-Remón, C., Prieto-Andrés, P., Mareca-Doñate, R., &Moliner-Lahoz, J. (2017). Impact on Morbidity, Mortality, and Length of Stay of Hospital-Acquired Infections by Resistant Microorganisms. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 65(4), 644-652
Haverstick, S. (2017). Patients’ Hand Washing and Reducing Hospital-Acquired Infection. Critical Care Nurse, 37(3), e1-e8. Doi: 10.4037/ccn2017694
Margel, D., Mizrahi, M., Regev-Shoshani, G., KO, M., Moshe, M., Ozalvo, R., & … Av-Gay, Y. (2017). Nitric oxide charged catheters as a potential strategy for prevention of hospital acquired infections. Plos ONE, 12(4), 1-17. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0174443
Nekkab, N., Astagneau, P., Temime, L., &Crépey, P. (2017). Spread of hospital-acquired infections: A comparison of healthcare networks. Plos Computational Biology, 13(8), 1-22. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005666
Neuman, B., & Reed, K. S. (2007). A Neuman Systems Model Perspective on Nursing in 2050. Nursing Science Quarterly, 20(2), 111-113. Doi: 10.1177/0894318407299847
Newman, D. L. (2005). A COMMUNITY NURSING CENTER for the HEALTH PROMOTION of Senior Citizens Based on the Neuman Systems Model. Nursing Education Perspectives (National League For Nursing), 26(4), 221-223.
Phu, V. D., Wertheim, H. L., Larsson, M., Nadjm, B., Dinh, Q., Nilsson, L. E., & … Dang, T. Q. (2016). Burden of Hospital Acquired Infections and Antimicrobial Use in Vietnamese Adult Intensive Care Units. Plos ONE, 11(1), 1-15. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147544
Boswell, C., & Cannon, S. (Eds.). (2014). Introduction to nursing research. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Rios, L. P., Ye, C., & Thabane, L. (2010). Association between the framing of the research question using the PICOT format and reporting quality of randomized controlled trials. BMC medical research methodology, 10(1), 11.
Thomas, B. H., Ciliska, D., Dobbins, M., &Micucci, S. (2004). A process for systematically reviewing the literature: providing the research evidence for public health nursing interventions. Worldviews on Evidence‐Based Nursing, 1(3), 176-184.
Shekelle, P. G., Ortiz, E., Rhodes, S., Morton, S. C., Eccles, M. P., Grimshaw, J. M., & Woolf, S. H. (2001). The validity of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality clinical practice guidelines: how quickly do guidelines become outdated?. Jama, 286(12), 1461-1467.
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