Introduction
As has already been stated in previous papers regarding this project, HAIs should be considered one of the primary problems of the modern healthcare sector. In such a way, the need for an intervention to enhance the understanding of the leading causes of HAIs, their development, and find efficient prevention tool acquires the top priority (Weber & Rutala, 2013). The given paper describes the implementation part of the research project and outlines the way the program should be introduced including particular steps, time frames, and data collection activities. Additionally, the description of tools and resources that might be needed during the implementation is included.
Stages
Nevertheless, regarding the fact that identification of leading causes of HAIs is critical for the paper, the selected medical unit will be evaluated to determine if basic sanitarian norms are observed. This procedure will be conducted using the following criteria
- supply of fresh air, water, and sunlight,
- the cleanness of surfaces,
- the level of personal hygiene adherence among personnel,
- overall hygiene reporting procedures utilized in a clinic.
The given step is fundamental to the implementation as it determines the current state of the unit and outlines potential problematic issues. With the help of a scale from 1 to 10, we will estimate all these aspects consulting with generally accepted norms (Ellingson et al., 2014). These showings will be recorded to guarantee the credibility of the findings and objectivity of the research. For this reason, the expected duration of this stage is two weeks. This term will contribute to the increased accuracy of collected information and help to reveal the current state of hand hygiene management in the selected medical unit.
As the selected intervention implies the analysis of health workers functioning and their specific behaviors, intervention teams consisting of volunteers will be created. All participants will be informed about the experiment, its central aspects, ideas, and purposes. Specialists will also provide their informed consent to take part in the research and agree that their hygiene actions during the experiment will be monitored by a video camera (Ward et al., 2014). They should also be ready to engage in a designed training program. The given stage will take two weeks to gather a needed sample and ensure that all participants realize their roles.
The next step is the creation of the environment appropriate for testing the efficiency of suggested electronic hygiene monitoring tools, enhanced reporting procedures, additional training of nurses, and these measures role in decreasing HAIs accidence in a clinical setting. That is why we should install video monitoring tools inpatient ward to control the observation of hand hygiene by nurses. The preference for this method will be given because of the low cost of its installation and opportunities it suggests (Zimlichman et al., 2013).
Using cameras, we will be able to observe nurses actions before touching a patient, before the provision of particular care or service, after leaving a patient or contact with him/her. Second, the product volume measurement will be introduced to ensure the effective evaluation of the situation and its analysis. Finally, regarding the plan mentioned above, a specific training lecture devoted to safe hygiene practices among nurses will be created and presented to the staff to ensure that they will acquire a basic understanding of HAIs, their primary causes, and threats.
Another stage will be devoted to direct observations and the collection of data about the intervention and its efficiency. Using enhanced reporting procedures, we will be able to indicate changes in nurses behaviors. It is critical to monitor the actual frequency of medical staff performing hygiene actions using both video monitoring and product volume measurement tools. The given observation will help to evaluate the efficiency of electronic hygiene monitoring tools and additional training for nurses. All changes, positive and negative ones, should be reported to compare final data with the initial state of the facility and discuss the results of the intervention. The data collection stage should continue for two months to ensure that all alterations in health workers behaviors are noted. This very duration is chosen because of the need for credible information collected in real-life conditions among nurses who work with patients.
The final step of the intervention will be devoted to the analysis of collected data and the creation of recommendations for the participants of the project. Nevertheless, all video recordings acquired during the observation stage will be used as credible evidence to either prove or refute the efficiency of the suggested tools and their positive impact on the functioning of the health unit. Additionally, the current state of the facility will be compared to its initial state to determine if any changes occurred during the intervention. This stage also includes the formulation of findings and an overall conclusion about the experiment.
Timeframe
Resources
The nature of the project presupposes the use of some additional equipment to collect needed data and analyze it. In such a way, a small video camera with a hard drive to store up a 24-hour video session will be demanded. Additionally, the SPSS statistics tool will be used to note all information, organize and analyze it. Microsoft Office Excel and Word will be explored by the research team to present all findings and report about the experiment. Finally, a particular room or hall will be needed to give a training lecture to the staff and communicate them during the intervention if some problems appear. Speaking about the costs, the selected method is considered comparatively cheap which means that no extra spending is needed.
Conclusion
Altogether, the given paper provides a detailed implementation plan that outlines every stage of the intervention and guarantees the overall success of the project. Every step is described and analyzed to ensure that credible data will be gathered. Additionally, the plan figures out the timeframe that will be used to implement all phases and achieve formulated goals. In such a way, the suggested intervention could easily be applied to any existing medical unit characterized by the high rates of HAIs and tendencies for their further rise to evaluate the efficiency of the suggested methods and discuss some other possible ways to minimize the accidence of the problem or even eliminate it.
References
Ellingson, K., Haas, J. P., Aiello, A. E., Kusek, L., Maragakis, L. L., Olmsted, R. N.,… VanAmringe, M. (2014). Strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections through hand hygiene. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 35(8), 937-960.
Ward, M. A., Schweizer, M. L., Polgreen, P. M., Gupta, K., Reisinger, H. S., & Perencevich, E. N. (2014). Automated and electronically assisted hand hygiene monitoring systems: A systematic review. American Journal of Infection Control, 42(5), 472-478.
Weber, D. J., & Rutala, W. A. (2013). Understanding and preventing transmission of healthcare-associated pathogens due to the contaminated hospital environment. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 34(5), 449-452.
Zimlichman, E., Henderson, D., Tamir, O., Franz, C., Song, P., Yamin, C. K.,… & Bates, D. W. (2013). Health care–associated infections: A meta-analysis of costs and financial impact on the US health care system. JAMA Internal Medicine, 173(22), 2039-2046.