QUESTION
Describe a clinical situation where you were concerned, (e.g. a higher incidence of falls, infections, errors, etc.) and where decisions were made to improve the situation. What sources of evidence were utilized to make the decision (e.g. personal experience, expert advice, etc.)?
ANSWER
Sometimes early last year when I was stationed at the Med-surg floor, we recorded a sharp increase in hospital-acquired infections. Patients ended up recording an increased length of stay at the hospital due to the infections. The clinical department of the hospital in collaboration with the planning and research sections had to investigate the issue and generate evidence on which to base their action. Normally, hospital-acquired infections are caused by fungal, viral, and bacterial pathogens (Magill et al. 2018). The infections can occur from cross-infection (caused by a microorganism acquired by another person within the hospital) or endogenous infection (from the patient). They cause surgical-site infections, urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections, and pneumonia among others. In the United States, hospital-acquired infections account for approximately 1.7 million infections and 99,000 deaths annually (Magill et al. 2018). Following the … Purchase full answer using the button below.