Evidence-Based Project Proposal Evaluation Plan Expected Outcomes

Evidence-Based Project Proposal Evaluation Plan Expected Outcomes

After implementing the evidence-based project, I anticipate results not differing from other previous pieces of research done on the same project.  I expect nurses to implement the skills and knowledge gained to adhere to daily bathing of the central line with chlorohexidine in ICU patients. As a result, I expect a decrease in the rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI).  According to Arunga et al.(2021), reduced CLABSI would decrease hospital stays, reduce the cost of care, improve patient satisfaction, reduce rehospitalization, and improve patient outcomes.

Data collection Tools, Research Design, and Statistical test

This research project adopted a prospective cohort study design, a quantitative design. Nurses will be trained on how to do daily chlorhexidine bathing in ICU patients. Patients will be grouped into cases and control. Patients in the study group will be bathed with chlorhexidine, while those in the control group will receive a normal saline infusion. All standards of care will be observed with the patient’s interests prioritized. Follow-up will be done to determine the rates of CLABSI among the study groups.

Data will be collected using questionnaires, interviews, and laboratory tests, including blood cultures, temperature measurements, and medical health records. I will prefer to use a questionnaire for data collection in this project. Questionnaires are valid, reliable, and applicable in this project as they have been used before with higher success rates (Hammoudeh et al., 2018).

Questionnaires are standardized and hence valid to provide accurate data from the project. In addition, questionnaires are reliable as they can provide the same results if used appropriately in repeated trials. In addition, a questionnaire will address various aspects of the project; hence it is applicable to provide extensive data (Haddadin et al., 2021).  Finally, Questionnaires are preferable because they are cheap to use and can be used to collect extensive data that can easily be analyzed.

After collecting data, a Chi-square test will be used to analyze categorical variables. The Chi-square test is helpful in hypothesis testing while providing an association between variables (McDougle et al., 2020). Furthermore, the probability of dependence between classified variables is applicable while using a chi-square. In this project, chi-square will help determine the relationship between using normal saline or chlorhexidine in reducing the rates of central line infections.

How outcomes will be measured and evaluated

The anticipated outcome of this project is aimed at improving patient outcomes in terms of reducing central line infection through the use of chlorohexidine. Nurses are expected to adhere to the training offered and bathe daily patients with chlorhexidine. Patients will also know the importance of using chlorhexidine in addition to maintaining general hygiene to prevent CLABSI.

Once nurses have mastered the technique of daily bathing, the rate of CLABSI will reduce. As a result, patients will have improved outcomes in terms of reduced hospital stay, reduced cost of care, improved quality of care, reduced readmission rate, and reduction in mortality and morbidity (Frost et al., 2018). Furthermore, there will be reduced exposure of patients to long-term antibiotics, resulting in antibiotic resistance.

Healthcare providers will also learn about different monitoring strategies to suspect CLABSI while ordering specific tests to assess patients.  Likewise, the institutional expenditure on caring for patients will reduce, and the cash could be used to improve other patient care sectors (Arunga et al., 2021). Finally, the knowledge gained in this project will be spread by nurses to other institutions that will adopt the same practice. As a result, patient care across the institutions will improve with better patient outcomes.

Strategies to be taken if outcomes do not provide positive results.

I believe the steps I have in this project will yield the expected results. However, if the expected outcomes are not achieved, I will be obliged to review the whole process. Reviewing the process will include assessing the availability of resources and personnel used during the entire process while identifying gaps that would have led to deviation from the expected results. Furthermore, I will gain more insight from the champion nurses regarding the implementation process while gathering views regarding their perception of the evidence-based project.

In addition, I will improve on the strategies of training nurses and encouraging them to adhere to the process. Finally, if all the interventions fail to yield the results, I will consider starting the whole process afresh. However, more strategies will be implemented to cover the gaps identified during the initial process.

Plan to maintain, Extend, or Revise, Discontinue a Proposed Solution.

The outcome of the project will determine its fate and application. The project will be maintained and extended in clinical practice if the expected outcomes are achieved. Maintenance and extension will be done through continuous training and educating nurses on daily bathing and its importance (McDougle et al., 2020). The benefits can be extended to other centers through information sharing and training.

However, if the expected outcomes are not achieved, the project may be revised. The revision will include identifying gaps and improving in those particular areas to increase the efficiency of the project. Nonetheless, if the risks of the intervention outweigh its benefit, the project may be discontinued, and the whole process rewritten and started again. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the project improves clinical outcomes and enhanced decision-making.

References

• Arunga, S., Mbarak, T., Ebong, A., Mwesigye, J., Kuguminkiriza, D., Mohamed-Ahmed, A. H. A., Hoffman, J. J., Leck, A., Hu, V., & Burton, M. (2021). Chlorhexidine gluconate 0.2% as a treatment for recalcitrant fungal keratitis in Uganda: a pilot study. BMJ Open Ophthalmology, 6(1), e000698. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjophth-2020-000698
• Frost, S. A., Hou, Y. C., Lombardo, L., Metcalfe, L., Lynch, J. M., Hunt, L., Alexandrou, E., Brennan, K., Sanchez, D., Aneman, A., & Christensen, M. (2018). Evidence for the effectiveness of chlorhexidine bathing and healthcare-associated infections among adult intensive care patients: a trial sequential meta-analysis. BMC Infectious Diseases, 18(1), 679. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-018-3521-y
• Haddadin, Y., Annamaraju, P., & Regunath, H. (2021). Central line associated bloodstream infections. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430891/
• Hammoudeh, S., Gadelhaq, W., & Janahi, I. (2018). Prospective cohort studies in medical research. In Cohort Studies in Health Sciences. InTech. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.76514
• McDougle, J., Sabirovic, M., Pietropaoli, S., & Hamilton, K. (2020). The gulf between emergency plans and the resources needed: a global review: -EN- -FR- Le fossé entre les plans d’urgence et les ressources nécessaires: un examen au niveau mondial -ES- El abismo que media entre los planes de emergencia y los recursos necesarios: panorámica mundial. Revue Scientifique et Technique (International Office of Epizootics), 39(2), 373–384. https://doi.org/10.20506/rst.39.2.3088