Qualitative Research Article Review Template

Instructions

Title That Conveys or Describes the Assignment (Same as Title on Next Page)

Student Name
University, School of Nursing
NSG 502: Advanced Nursing Research
Lecturer
Due Date

Title That Conveys or Describes the Assignment (Same as Title Page)

Introduction: Provide an introduction to your topic or project. The introduction gives the reader an accurate, concrete understanding of what the project will cover and what can be gained from the implantation of your project. References should be used.

Date: due date (complete sentence not necessary)
Reviewer: student’s name (complete sentence not necessary)
Article Citation (APA 7th)

Overview of Article

1. Why was the study done? Was there a clear explanation of the purpose of the study and, if so, what was it? The research question, hypothesis, purpose of the study, etc. can be covered here. Is the study purpose an important clinical issue?
2. Was relevant background literature reviewed? What did the researchers conclude, based on the literature review?
3. What was the Study Design? (Qualitative is not enough information.). What was the sample size? How were subjects recruited?
4. How were the data analyzed?
5. Were there any untoward events during the study?
   Did people leave the study and, if so, was there something special about them?
6. How do the results fit with previous research in the area?
7. Did the researchers base their work on a thorough literature review?
8. What were the strengths and weaknesses of the study?
9. What were the limitations?
10. What does this research mean for clinical practice?

Conclusion

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References

References are not necessary, but if you use any they should be listed here.

 

Sample

Hospital-acquired infections affect millions of patients every year across the world. World Health Organization reported that almost every healthcare setting in any country across the globe is experiencing Hospital-acquired infections/healthcare-associated infections (Maroldi et al., 2017). Effective implementation of infection control activities is crucial to controlling the transmission of HAIs in settings with high infection rates. Infection prevention is essential regardless of the type of healthcare setting to avoid unexpected outcomes. HAIs, for instance, can lead to poor patient outcomes, high cost of care, and prolonged hospital stays (Haverstick et al., 2017).

The selected article for review is about healthcare-associated infections. In that regard, the purpose of this paper is to review a qualitative research study by discussing important areas of the selected article (Maroldi et al., 2017). The important sections include the purpose, sample size, instruments used, data analysis, untoward events (if any), results, implications, and strengths and limitations of the study.
Article Citation (APA 7th)
Barker, A. K., Brown, K., Siraj, D., Ahsan, M., Sengupta, S., & Safdar, N. (2017). Barriers and facilitators to infection control at a hospital in northern India: a qualitative study. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, 6(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-017-0189-9

Overview of Article

Why was the study done?

This study provided a clear explanation of the study’s purpose. The purpose of the study was to assess facilitators and barriers to infection control at a private tertiary care hospital in Haryana, India (Barker et al., 2017). The purpose of this study is a significant clinical issue owing to the bad effects HAIs have on individuals’ health. Infection control in healthcare settings improves patient experience and outcomes. Hospital-acquired infections pose a significant threat to healthcare systems in both high, middle, and low-income countries (Barker et al., 2017). The purpose of this study is, therefore, to address a crucial clinical issue that is considered a global health problem.

Was relevant background literature reviewed? What did the researchers conclude, based on the literature review?

This study has a relevant literature review of 23 studies. All the studies addressed healthcare-associated infection in one way or the other. According to the literature review, healthcare-associated infections affect millions of people across the world (Barker et al., 2017). These incidents complicate clinical care, lead to increased lengths of hospital stays, and cause a financial burden on both patients and care facilities.

The literature review also hinted that effective implementation of infection control practices is the surest way to prevent HAIs or reduce incidences (Barker et al., 2017). Based on the literature review, an almost 95% of compliance rate is needed to reduce central line-associated bloodstream infections. While the necessary compliance rate for central line-associated bloodstream infections is known, that similar information regarding other HAIs is not known.

The authors concluded, based on the literature review, that no study of the comprehensive barriers and facilitators to infection control has been conducted at an Indian hospital despite the high rate of HAIs in the country (Barker et al., 2017). For this reason, they decided to conduct a study to answer the question.

What was the Study Design? (Qualitative is not enough information.). What was the sample size? How were subjects recruited?

This was a qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews of nurses and physicians, selected by convenience sampling. In this study, 10 physicians and 10 nurses were recruited at a hospital in Haryana, India (Barker et al., 2017). These people were recruited through convenience sapling in the wards, and hospital employee cafeteria, and others were approached directly. Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted to achieve the study objective. The initial interview guide was developed based on the SEIPS model (Barker et al., 2017). Areas assessed by the interview questions include the facility’s infection control policies, focusing on how the physical environment, tasks, people, tools, and organization can be barriers and facilitators of the success of ongoing interventions.

How were the data analyzed?

The authors stated that the interview scripts were subsequently analyzed using NVivo software (Version 11.3, QSR International). Responses were coded into themes based on the SEIPS model. The authors stated further that NVivo is a qualitative software that helps with data analysis in qualitative studies (Barker et al., 2017). Using this tool, researchers can organize key themes identified in large quantities of open-ended text. In the study, two independent investigators coded the data in NVivo.

Were there any untoward events during the study?

There were no reported untoward events throughout the study. Furthermore, the authors did not mention whether or not there were nurses who dropped out of the study. There were no inconveniences because of external interference (Barker et al., 2017). Therefore, this information cannot be predicted unless revealed by the authors.

How do the results fit with previous research in the area?

One of the main findings that one can easily notice from the study is the need for organizational support to reduce HAIS. In addition, personal responsibilities such as hand hygiene should be adhered to to reduce HAIs (Barker et al., 2017). These areas have been identified as barriers to preventing HAIs. This study was based on a thorough literature review. The study findings fit with previous research findings as identified in the literature review (Barker et al., 2017). The literature review identified the need for training and organizational support to prevent HAIs. The literature review also highlighted the importance of personal hygiene to prevent HAIs.

What were the strengths and weaknesses of the study?

This study has several strengths based on methodology and other areas. For example, the study title, purpose, methodologies, results, and conclusion align. The methodology section was well explained (Barker et al., 2017). In addition, the study was the first SEIPS work system analysis of infection control practices in India. The study’s weakness is that it was a single-site study, hence, reducing generalizability (Haverstick et al., 2017. According to the authors, this study focused on a single tertiary care hospital, internationally accredited by Joint Commission International. Consequently, the study findings may not be generalizable to different healthcare settings in India.

What were the limitations?

There are other study limitations identified by the authors. For example, this study occurred in a private hospital and not in a government facility. Therefore, there is a need to conduct a similar study in a public government hospital and other institution types. Barker et al. (2017) stated that the Indian healthcare system is varied and complex, including high incidences of antimicrobial resistance. Indian hospitals, other than accredited hospitals, do not practice organized routine infection control programs (Barker et al., 2017). Another limitation is that the researchers could not correlate self-reported practices with direct observations of infection control behavior.

What does this research mean for clinical practice?

This research has significant implications for clinical practice. Data obtained from this study can be used to develop the best approaches to hospital-acquired infections (Barker et al., 2017). In addition, no study had been conducted in India regarding barriers and facilitators to infection control by the time this study was carried out. Therefore, this study brought new knowledge to clinical practice. Finding barriers and facilitators is the first step in infection control. HAIs lead to further health complications, prolonged hospital stays, and a high cost of care (Barker et al., 2017). The findings of this study can be used to educate healthcare providers to help them understand what is needed to establish effective HAI control programs.

Conclusion

Hospital-acquired infections are a global health problem that requires urgent attention. Effective implementation of infection control activities is crucial to controlling the transmission of HAIs in settings with high infection rates. In that regard, the purpose of this paper was to review a qualitative research study. The selected article aimed to assess facilitators and barriers to infection control at a private tertiary care hospital in Haryana, India.

This study had a relevant literature review of 23 studies. It was a qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews of nurses and physicians, selected by convenience sampling. The researchers used the NVivo software (Version 11.3, QSR International) for data analysis. No untoward events were reported throughout the study. Study strengths, limitations, and implications to clinical practice were discussed.

References

Barker, A. K., Brown, K., Siraj, D., Ahsan, M., Sengupta, S., & Safdar, N. (2017). Barriers and facilitators to infection control at a hospital in northern India: a qualitative study. Antimicrobial Resistance & Infection Control, 6(1), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13756-017-0189-9
Haverstick, S., Goodrich, C., Freeman, R., James, S., Kullar, R., & Ahrens, M. (2017). Patients’ hand washing and reducing hospital-acquired infection. Critical care nurse, 37(3), e1-e8. https://doi.org/10.4037/ccn2017694
Maroldi, M. A. C., Felix, A. M. D. S., Dias, A. A. L., Kawagoe, J. Y., Padoveze, M. C., Ferreira, S. A., … & Figueiredo, R. M. (2017). Adherence to precautions for preventing the transmission of microorganisms in primary health care: a qualitative study. BMC nursing, 16(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-017-0245-z