Methods/Design and Statistical Analysis

This research is designed to answer the question “In adult patients in medical-surgical with intravenous (IV) or central lines, will implementation of antiseptic containing curos-caps compared to the current practice of manual disinfection (scrubbing the ports) impact prevention of IV or central line induced bloodstream infections like CLABSI over eight weeks?”

Evaluative Criteria

To address this question, the first variable that should be considered is the incidence rate of infections resulting from IV or central lines. This variable can be measured as the number of bloodstream infections observed per 100 or 1000 catheter days after implementing the use of antiseptic-containing curos caps. Regular microbiology testing and monitoring weekly over the eight weeks must be done. The second evaluative criterion will involve staff compliance with the disinfection protocol. It is important to evaluate compliance because it significantly reduces the rate of infections (Matlab et al., 2022). Direct observation of staff and the use of a documented insertion checklist can help to achieve desired outcomes.

Healthcare providers participating in the practice of infection prevention should also provide input about the effectiveness of implemented approaches. Healthcare staff’s satisfaction and perception regarding the ease of use and effectiveness of curos caps compared to manual disinfection should be evaluated. Another key parameter is the patient satisfaction scores upon receiving care. Patient health outcomes related to IV or central line usage and their satisfaction with the care received will be used to answer the PICOT question. Lastly, the number of hospital stays and readmission rates can be used to answer the questions.

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Research Approaches

Research approaches represent the procedures used to collect, analyze, and interpret data. Qualitative methodologies are used in research to collect, analyze, and interpret data to gain insight into a particular phenomenon (Taherdoost, 2022). Quantitative approaches are used in the collection and analysis of numerical data to describe, explain, and predict a phenomenon of interest. A cross-sectional study approach is the first method that will be used to determine the incidence of bloodstream infections. This method can be used to compare the effectiveness of the curos caps compared to manual disinfection in reducing the number of infections. A second approach will be an observational approach to provide real-time data on whether healthcare staff are following the disinfection protocols.

Qualitative survey and interview approaches can be used to answer questions related to patient and staff satisfaction. Surveys and interviews are suitable for gathering subjective data on staff satisfaction and perceptions (Mazhar et al., 2021). This qualitative approach allows for an in-depth understanding of staff experiences and opinions regarding the disinfection methods. Lastly, the observational approach can be suitable for answering questions related to hospital readmission and extended hospital stays. This approach will allow for tracking the long-term outcomes and complications associated with each disinfection method upon observation.

Data Collection

Data collection for the evaluation criteria of the incidence rate of IV/central line infections will be done using an observational approach. The implementation team will observe the number of infections that occur when using the antiseptic-containing curos caps approach. Medical records review is another method that will ensure the implementation obtains already available data about infections that result from scrubbing the ports method (Mazhar et al., 2021). An observational standardized checklist will be used to collect data related to the evaluation criteria of staff compliance with the disinfection protocol. The infection control nurse will observe nurses during the use of curos caps and ensure the recommended procedure is used. The use of satisfaction surveys will be helpful in collecting data about staff and patient satisfaction. A structured questionnaire will be used during the surveys to collect accurate data from the patients and staff.

The collection of data will be done throughout the 8-week implementation period. The project lead will collect data from medical reports, observe compliance using a standardized checklist, and document data in the EHR system. Data collection tools that will be used throughout the process include surveys, satisfaction questionnaires, and direct observation. The data collection methods are appropriate to this research because they enable real-time access to crucial information (Taherdoost, 2022). For example, direct observation is most effective for assessing compliance protocols in real time. The surveys that will be used to collect data about satisfaction are appropriate because of their effectiveness in capturing subjective experiences and perceptions. In addition, these methods will ensure regular and consistent data collection.

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Data analysis

Data analysis will be conducted using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The incidence rate is one of the descriptive methods that will be used to calculate the rate of infection per 1000  catheter days resulting from the use of both interventions. Chi-Square test will be used to compare the incidence rates between the two methods to inform the conclusion (Mishra et al., 2019). Compliance with the disinfection protocol will be done using percentages. For each method, calculations involving the number of compliant disinfection events/total disinfection events will be used. The Chi-Square test will also be used to compare proportions in this categorical data. Lastly, the T-test method will be used to analyze data related to satisfaction scores, especially means between two groups (Mishra et al., 2019). This test will be suitable for comparing the mean satisfaction scores following the new intervention.

In conclusion, the implementation of antiseptic containing curos-caps and comparing outcomes with the scrubbing the ports method involves a multifaceted approach. The key evaluation criteria will include reviewing the number of new infections, compliance of staff with the disinfection protocol, satisfaction scores, and hospital stay time/readmission rates. Data collection methods that will be utilized include direct observation, medical records review, surveys, and qualitative interviews. The analysis plan includes a combination of descriptive and inferential statistics to provide a robust understanding of the effectiveness, compliance, and efficiency of the proposed infection prevention strategy.

References

Matlab, A. A., Al-Hussami, M. O., & Alkaid Albqoor, M. (2022). Knowledge and compliance to prevention of central line-associated blood stream infections among registered nurses in Jordan. Journal of Infection Prevention, 23(4), 133–141. https://doi.org/10.1177/17571774211066778

Mazhar, S. A., Anjum, R., Anwar, A. I., & Khan, A. A. (2021). Methods of data collection: A fundamental tool of research. Journal of Integrated Community Health (ISSN 2319-9113), 10(1), 6-10.

http://dx.doi.org/10.24321/2319.9113.202101

Mishra, P., Pandey, C. M., Singh, U., Keshri, A., & Sabaretnam, M. (2019). Selection of appropriate statistical methods for data analysis. Annals of Cardiac Anaesthesia, 22(3), 297–301. https://doi.org/10.4103/aca.ACA_248_18

Taherdoost, H. (2022). What are different research approaches? Comprehensive review of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method research, their applications, types, and limitations. Journal of Management Science & Engineering Research, 5(1), 53-63. http://dx.doi.org/10.30564/jmser.v5i1.4538