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The Purpose of the Topic Search Strategy paper is to describe your search strategies when identifying two articles relevant to an evidence-based practice topic of interest. The paper will include sections on the clinical question, levels of evidence, search strategy, and a conclusion, formatted according to current APA guidelines. The paper should be 3-4 pages in length, excluding the title and reference pages. It must include a title page, proper headings for each section, and be free of grammatical and spelling errors.

Students will collaborate in groups to select a practice problem as the focus of the assignments; however, each student will complete this assignment independently. Each group member must select different articles to avoid duplication. The clinical question should describe the problem, its significance to patient outcomes, supported by relevant statistics or evidence, and include a PICOT question along with a clear purpose statement. The levels of evidence section requires identifying the type of question (therapy, prognosis, meaning, etc.) and the best evidence type to answer it (RCT, cohort, qualitative, etc.).

The search strategy must detail search terms and results, databases used (starting with the CU library), refinement decisions made to narrow down articles, and limits applied. The requirement is to identify and review two primary articles published within the last five years that are most relevant to the clinical question. Proper APA formatting, headings, and organization are essential for clarity and professionalism.

Paper For Above instruction

The process of formulating an effective search strategy is crucial in evidence-based practice, as it underpins the foundation upon which valid and applicable research evidence is identified and evaluated. For this assignment, I collaborated with my group members to select a pertinent practice problem focusing on reducing the incidence of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) among adult patients. The clinical question we formulated addresses the effectiveness of enhanced hand hygiene protocols in decreasing HAIs. Our PICOT question is: “In hospitalized adults (P), does the implementation of an enhanced hand hygiene protocol (I) compared to standard protocols (C) reduce the incidence of HAIs (O) within six months (T)?” The significance of this problem lies in the substantial morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs associated with HAIs. According to the World Health Organization, HAIs affect hundreds of millions of patients annually worldwide, leading to prolonged hospital stays, increased antibiotic resistance, and higher mortality rates (WHO, 2011).

The levels of evidence for this clinical question predominantly involve intervention studies, primarily randomized controlled trials (RCTs), given their robustness in establishing causality. An RCT is considered the most appropriate research design to evaluate the effectiveness of infection control interventions, such as hand hygiene protocols, due to its ability to minimize bias and confounding variables (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2015). A cohort study could also contribute valuable prognostic information but would typically be less compelling in establishing cause-and-effect relationships for this intervention question.

My search strategy began with the use of keywords derived from the PICOT question: “hand hygiene,” “hospital-acquired infections,” “infection control,” “hospital infection prevention,” and “hand hygiene protocol.” Utilizing the Cumulative University (CU) library’s robust database collection, I mainly searched PubMed, CINAHL, and Academic Search Complete. These databases offer access to a breadth of nursing and healthcare research articles. I linked the search terms directly to the PICOT components, ensuring relevance to the clinical question. Initial searches yielded a broad set of articles, so refinement was necessary.

Refinement decisions included applying limits such as publication date within the last five years to ensure current evidence, selecting only peer-reviewed journal articles to enhance credibility, and focusing on studies conducted in hospital settings. I also used Boolean operators (“AND,” “OR”) to combine search terms effectively. After reviewing the initial results, I selected the two most relevant primary research articles based on their study design, clarity of findings, and relevance to the PICOT question. Both selected articles are randomized controlled trials published within the last five years—specifically in 2019 and 2021—that examine the impact of hand hygiene interventions on infection rates.

In conclusion, developing a systematic approach to search strategies is vital for identifying high-quality evidence. Through targeted keyword use, database selection, and logical refinement, I was able to locate pertinent articles that support best practices in infection prevention. These articles will serve as a foundation for evidence-based recommendations to improve patient outcomes by reducing HAIs through enhanced hand hygiene protocols.

References

• Melnyk, B. M., & Fineout-Overholt, E. (2015). Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Healthcare: A Guide to Best Practice (3rd ed.). Wolters Kluwer Health.
• World Health Organization. (2011). Report on the burden of endemic health care-associated infection worldwide. WHO.
• Gould, D. J., Moralejo, D., Drey, N., & Chudleigh, J. (2017). Interventions to improve hand hygiene compliance in patient care. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (9), CD005186.
• Pittet, D., Hugonnet, S., Harbarth, S., et al. (2019). Effectiveness of a hospital-wide programme to improve compliance with hand hygiene. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 9(11), 605-612.
• World Health Organization. (2009). WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care. WHO.
• Erasmus, V., Daha, T. J., Brug, H., et al. (2020). Systematic review of studies on compliance with hand hygiene guidelines in hospital care. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 31(3), 283-289.
• Jencova, J., Szilard, I., & Szilard, R. (2020). Implementation of hand hygiene protocols in hospital settings: a systematic review. Journal of Infection Prevention, 21(2), 62-67.
• Hansen, M. S., Larsen, E., & Rasmussen, B. (2021). Impact of hand hygiene education on healthcare workers' compliance: A randomized trial. American Journal of Infection Control, 49(3), 340-347.
• Huang, Q., She, X., & Liu, Y. (2019). Effectiveness of educational interventions to improve hand hygiene compliance among healthcare workers: A meta-analysis. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol, 40(7), 769-774.
• Boyce, J. M., & Pittet, D. (2020). Guideline for hand hygiene in health-care settings. Medical Clinics of North America, 104(1), 113-129.