Evaluation and Results
The evaluation process is critical after the implementation of a nursing or healthcare intervention because it establishes the level of achievement of the intended objectives. The process involved the collection of qualitative and quantitative data from the site of implementation of the hand hygiene simulation and education. The qualitative version of the evaluation entailed the collection of information from the nurses who participated in the education process. Interviews and observations provide information on the perception of nurses about knowledge acquisition and the use in practice. The observation component of the evaluation will reveal how nurses will apply the knowledge in the care process, such as the tendency to wash hands using disinfectants before a catheter change.
The quantitative part of the evaluation was the collection of numerical data regarding the reduction of the rate of infections following the execution of the project. The data were obtained from hospital records to indicate the difference between the rate of catheter-acquired infections before and after implementation of the hand hygiene education and simulation. Additional data were collected from nurses through a questionnaire, which will be analyzed to test the level of compliance with hand hygiene following the implementation of the intervention.
The qualitative and quantitative findings of the evaluation provided evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Nurses involved in the intervention affirmed that they had become more knowledgeable about hand hygiene practice after the implementation of the intervention. Besides, the observation indicated that they were more careful about their hand hygiene practice than they were before the education and simulation process. From the analysis of the quantitative data, the rate of the infections before the project integration in practice was higher than the rate after the training of nurses.
The evidence of effectiveness is critical in the development of an infection control theory in nursing. The results of the study will add to the current theoretical knowledge to support learning. It will create a theory relevant to nursing education and practice, borrowing from current models such as Kolb’s experiential learning theory. Overall, it will demonstrate the way learning occurs in healthcare settings to improve the quality of service delivery.
The information from the project provides the basis for future research in the prevention of hospital-acquired infections, including further exploration of how the intervention can be implemented in practice. The findings will support nurse education on the use of hand hygiene practice to improve patient care outcomes. Nurses can use the knowledge to exercise hand hygiene while providing care to patients using a catheter in their treatment, especially in intensive care units. Caregivers will use the knowledge to improve their practice to prevent infections in patients using a catheter, hence reducing the cost of care and disease burden. Besides providing support for the reduction of catheter-site infections, the results will inform general control of all nosocomial infections in healthcare through hand hygiene compliance.
Summary
The intervention was aimed at exploring the impact of hand hygiene education and simulation in improving caregivers’ knowledge and practice of catheter-site cleanliness, hence reducing the rate of infections. The results of the project revealed a positive impact of the education and simulation in enhancing hand hygiene knowledge and practice. Nurse educators can use the results from such an intervention to implement future education programs based on simulation to improve hand hygiene knowledge and practice in their settings.