School of Nursing HLSC122: Hand Hygiene Practices in Aged Care Study

This homework assignment analyzes a research study on hand hygiene practices in aged care facilities, focusing on the critical appraisal of a mixed-methods study. The student addresses questions related to authorship, research questions, design, methods, results, limitations, and application...Read More

School of Nursing, Midwifery & Paramedicine
HLSC122 – Evidence for
Practice
SUPPLEMENTARY
ASSESSMENT
:
Campus:
Instructions
Please write your student number and name at the top of this page.
Please write all answers on this test paper.
All questions should be answered on the paper provided
You will be expected to download this research study in order to answer
the following questions please.
Your supplementary answer sheet should be submitted under the
supplementary turnitin drop box on your individual campus
No references or in-text referencing is required.
Please type your answers below each question on this paper.
This supplementary assessment consists of s hort answer
questions.
Total = 50 marks

CRITICAL APPRAISAL QUESTIONS
SCENARIO: Hand Washing Scenario
Rita Samos is a first-year health science’s student. Rita has commenced her first
clinical placement block in an aged care facility. Because of the COVID
Pandemic, there is much emphasis on hand hygiene practices. However, Rita
has observed that health care providers practices on hand hygiene in the aged
care facility were varied. Rita wants to know if health care providers in aged care
setting comply with hand hygiene practices as an infection control measure.
Clinical question
In aged care health settings, do health care providers comply with hand washing
practices as an infection control measure?
Research study
Hammerschmid, J., & Manser, T. (2019). Nurses’ knowledge, behaviour and
compliance
concerning hand hygiene in nursing homes: a cross-sectional mixed
methods study. BMC Health Services Research, 19(547), pp. 1-3.
Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4347-z

Short Answer Questions
1. Authorship
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of:
a. authors’ expertise based on their cited credentials and affiliations. (4 marks)
b. possible conflict of interest in the paper (2 marks)
Strength: Authorship strength is selected article help to answer the research
question and also there are many articles which are reliable and valid in order to
accomplish the define aim.
Weakness: The weaknesses of authorship is the selected articles and books are
published latest. Like most of the chosen articles and Journals are old and this
somehow increase the literature gap.
a.
Both Judith Hammerschmidt and Tanja Manswer are contributed their best
for collecting and analyzing the data for the study and also chooses the relevant
article which in turn assist to meet the define aim. Further, the articles which are
chosen for the study are also published latest which shows that author have a
good knowledge with regards to conducting study in proper manner.
The current article is affiliated by Institute for Patient Safety, University
Hospital Bonn in Germany and University of Applied Sciences and Arts
Northwestern Switzerland who are top institute where author published the
articles, which is approved by the Universities and them published. So, it can be
stated that the article is relevant and reliable as per the expertise of author and
University affiliation which provides the integrity of this study.

b.
The possible conflict of the research paper is such that scholar mixed two
different topic and this in turn creates difficulties to find out the results. Such
that, in the same way, for current study, there are two topic which are club by
research i.e. different guidelines which health care providers may comply in aged
care health care setting and importance of hand washing practices during novel
coronavirus in order to control of spreading infection in age care health setting.
This is somehow consider as a possible conflict.
2. Research Question & Justification

a. State the research study’s question/s, aim or hypothesis. (2 marks)
b. State the gap and author’s justification/s as to why their study was
needed (4 marks)
a.
The purpose of the study is to understand the factors related to adhering
with infection prevention management by focusing on hand hygiene within
nursing homes.
Article question: What is the importance of hand washing practice to
control the infection of COVID-19 in aged care health setting?
Research question:
 Which hygiene behaviors do nurses report?
 How do nursing manager perceive nurses' knowledge concerning hygiene
management and infection prevention?
Hypothesis:
Null hypothesis: There is a significance relationship between knowledge
perceived by nurses practices related to hand hygiene with compliance of
hygiene guidelines.
Alternative hypothesis: There is no significance relationship between knowledge
perceived by nurses practices related to hand hygiene with compliance of
hygiene guidelines.
b.
The study is conducted in order to make sure that the health care
providers are comply with the define hand wash practices in the workplaces. It is
necessary because as per the COVID-19, it is quite necessary to wash the hands
within a specified time period in order to control the spread of infection. That is
why, researcher wants to conduct the study in which it is easily examine whether
health care providers adhere the practices and provide proper care to the old

age people or not. On the other hand, this study is needed because it determine
the gap between already conducted studies and current research by examining
the importance of hand hygiene in nursing home staff before and after.
3. Research Design
a. Identify and explain the research design used in the study. (4 marks)
a.
For the study, scholar uses mixed methods design where multiple sources
are support the study in order to meet the define aim. Further, both qualitative
and quantitative data are analyzed and at one point, data sources are combined
and interpret the results in better manner. Also, with the help of mixed method,
researcher is able to collect information from different views and interpret the
outcomes in such a better manner that assist to meet the define aim i.e.
importance of hand washing practices in health care providers for infection
control measures.

4. Research Methods
a. Discuss the methods the researchers used for: selecting study
participants and collecting and analysing data. (5 marks)
b. What were the strengths and weaknesses of the methods used? (5
marks)
c. What were the possible bias and how did the authors reduce the bias in
the method of the research? (4 marks)
a.
Under the study, simple random sampling strategy is selected for the study
in which 165 nurses are selected for survey under quantitative strategy while 27
nursing managers are selected for interview process under qualitative study. For
analyzing the data, thematic data analysis used which in turn assist to present
the data by using graphs and table in better manner. Further collecting the data,
both primary and secondary data are used which in turn leads to conduct the
entire study in proper manner.
b.
Strength: Strength of using survey method under quantitative study is
help to cost effective strategy and even broad range of data is analyzed.
Interview method help for development of relationship and consider less costly.
Further simple random sampling method is assist to reduce bias and get result
immediately. Also, scholar chooses data collection method such that primary
which provide accurate results as compared to secondary method. While

advantage of using secondary method is such that it is conduct quickly and cost
effective method as compared to primary research
Weaknesses: limitation for the study is sometimes, respondents are
honestly perform the answer which may lead to wrong results. Further, interview
method under qualitative study is very time consuming and interview can be
bias and provide less anonymity. Simple random sampling method is did not
clearly generate the outcomes properly. Weakness of using primary research
data is such that it cost high and also require enough time for collecting data
while secondary data is outdated and sometimes irrelevant and as a result,
scholar faces lots of difficulties in order to collect the information as well.
c.
The bias can be occur when research uses old information and this in turn
affect the entire results and this can be overcome by choosing the articles
which are latest published, must be copyright because it do not provide wrong
information. Thus validity and reliability of the research must be ensured by
applying relevant tool so that it do not affect the results.
5. Results and Author Cited Limitations
a. Discuss whether the study findings or conclusions answered
the research study’s question/s. (3 marks)
b. State and briefly explain the two limitations of the study cited
by the authors. (4 marks)
a.
Yes, study findings and answered the research study's question in well
manner and concluded that hand hygiene factor is consider a most important
practice that help to reduce the infection of COVID-19 among people to people.

Also, the finding further stated that to minimize the nursing homes of cross-
infection among a resident, WHO guidelines should be recommended that assist
to let them realize that this is an important practice which must be followed by
resident and health care providers.
b.
 Author stated that sample of nursing manager under qualitative strand is
consider so small and this in turn generalize the data and consider as a
limitation.
 Timing is also consider as a limitation because interview is a long time
consuming process which affect the results and this in turn leads to
consume lots of time as well. As a result, researcher uses all of their time
in data analysis section which in turn leads to affect secondary results in
adverse manner.

6. Application: barriers and enablers
a) Reflecting on the scenario, describe two possible enablers, that
may impact on the adoption and use of the evidence (i.e. findings)
in practice. (4 marks).
a.
Personal enablers: For the current study, tutor keep assisting scholar
and guide me to select best articles and sampling in order to meet the define
aim. Also, with the help of mixed method design strategy further assist to
analyses from multiple sources.
Organizational enabler: with the help of owner of nursing care, who help
to select the sample and grant scholar to conduct the interview of nursing
managers in order to analyze the importance of hand washing practices among
health care providers while serving the old age people. This in turn assist to
provide proper care and sustain brand image.
b) Reflecting on the scenario, describe two potential barriers, that
may impact on the adoption and use of the evidence (i.e. findings)
in practice. (4 marks).
b.
Personal barrier: While conducting the research, researcher face
barrier with regards to opting mixed research strategy because scholar is
not familiar with the research type and due to lack of experience in this type
of strategy may creates direct negative impact upon results. So it can be
stated that due to lack of experience with regards to research design,
scholar face issue and it also takes lot of time as well.
Organizational barrier: On the other side, another organizational
barrier during this study is related to hand hygiene behavior because when
employee of a company are apply to the content of hand hygiene in practice
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they actually realize the direct availability of hand hygiene equipment in
nursing care.
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7. Application of evidence seeks to use clinical practice guidelines to
promote patient outcomes.
a). State two advantages of using clinical practice guidelines in
promoting patient outcome in the general clinical setting (5 Marks)
a.
The advantage of using guidelines in clinical context are as mention below:
 Using the guidelines, improve the quality of care which is received by
patient and this in turn assist for fast recovery as well. Also, it is analyzed
by the secondary research, that the chances of recovery is also increases
when nursing staff perform work on the basis of define guidelines. Also, it
is critically analyses that not adopting guidelines in clinical context
discourage health care providers to adopt wrong practices because it
affect the health care in negative manner as well.
 Moreover, another advantage of using guidelines for getting positive
patient outcomes are such that it protect the health care providers to be a
misinterpreted with regards to patient's status. Also, this assist to reduce
morbidity and mortality which in turn leads to improve the quality of life of
each patient. On the other hand, guidelines are also assist to improve the
consistency of care so that patients are easily get proper care that assist
to raise the hospital or nursing care brand image as well.
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END OF SUPPLEMETARY TEST
TOTAL– 50 MARKS
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