Effective Search and Appraisal of Evidence for Reducing Hospital-Acquired Infections
Geraldine Akonwah
Walden University
Dr Letha Thomas
Effective Search and Appraisal of Evidence for Reducing Hospital-Acquired Infections
A literature review is crucial in ensuring that practice gaps are filled, especially in healthcare, and outcomes are improved through evidence-based practice. One such gap is the perpetuation of HAIs, an outstanding challenge in many hospitals worldwide. This requires searching and appraising relevant literature to guide practice changes. The paper discusses evidence searching and appraising on reducing HAIs within a hospital setting, explaining various stages of identifying relevant databases, choosing appropriate keywords, and conducting critical analyses. The literature search is supposed to identify good-quality, peer-reviewed articles to highlight effective strategies for reducing HAIs in hospital settings.
Organizational Type and Gap in Practice
The type of organization in this literature review involves hospitals since the selected gap in practice was on HAIs. Hospital-acquired infections are preventable complications during patient care, usually occurring in the hospital setting. Even though infection control has transformed significantly, hospitals continue to grapple with these infections, which increase morbidity, length of stay, and healthcare costs (Gebregiorgis et al., 2020). The practice change the reviewer is seeking is the implementation of evidence-based interventions that could reduce the incidence of HAIs. The literature search was conducted to find recent studies presenting effective strategies to improve infection control practices.
Search Process for Evidence
The literature search also depends on the choice of databases and keywords. I have chosen CINAHL Complete and PubMed for this assignment. These are two of the most recognized databases with extensive access to peer-reviewed healthcare and medical research. The selection of these databases is based on their relevance to the control of infection in a healthcare setting, and they have been highly recognized as having comprehensive coverage of nursing and medical research. CINAHL is a very specific source of literature about nursing and allied health, while PubMed gives access to extensive clinical studies and systematic reviews.
I decided on the following keywords: “hospital-acquired infections,” “infection control,” “evidence-based practice,” and “hospitals.” In selecting these terms, I tried to address the problem of hospital-acquired infections and its possible solution- infection control via evidence-based practice in a hospital setting. I used Boolean operators such as AND to combine terms such as “hospital-acquired infections AND infection control.” I selected filters to limit results to only peer-reviewed articles from the last five years. A search from CINAHL produced 12 articles, and PubMed produced 5 in total, further refined based on relevance and quality.
Appraisal of Evidence
The articles were then appraised to identify the most relevant and highest-quality studies. Regarding the articles identified, an appraisal was made based on methodological rigor, relevance to the practice gap, and source credibility. Regarding methodological rigor, only those studies with a very strong research design, such as RCTs, cohort studies, or systematic reviews, were considered. The relevance of the studies was assessed for those that would give actionable strategies to reduce HAIs in the hospitals, addressing the identified specific practice gap.
The identified studies were appraised using the appraisal frameworks from the course. Specifically, Appendices E, F, and G. I identified, retrieved, and reviewed three recent, rigorous, relevant, and impactful articles using the search outcomes. They were listed in reputable and peer-reviewed journals whose recommendations were evidence-based, thus making them easy to apply in a hospital setup to bridge the existing gap in infection control practices. Thus, These criteria ensured that the selected studies would provide the most credible and actionable evidence for practice improvement.
Conclusion
A literature search and evidence appraisal has to be conducted properly if, on the one hand, a literature review is to provide helpful guidance toward changes in practice. This paper chose the appropriate databases and keywords which helped to identify relevant literature regarding hospital-acquired infections. Through a sound appraisal process, it selected only high-quality, peer-reviewed articles. These three selected articles provide insight into good practices for reducing hospital HAIs, thereby contributing to improving patient safety and outcomes. Thus, healthcare professionals bridge the gap in practice and establish appropriate interventions that will lead to better healthcare delivery following the structured approach.
References
Gebregiorgis, B. G., Takele, G. M., Ayenew, K. D., & Amare, Y. E. (2020). Prevalence of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) and associated factors in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol. BMJ open, 10(12), e042111. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/10/12/e042111.abstract