Medical professionals and healthcare facilities hold the initial authorization to provide essential services that enhance patient health. However, contamination in the hospital environment continues to pose a significant threat to patient welfare and health. Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs) lead to extended hospital stays, increased healthcare costs, and preventable deaths (Haque et al., 2018).

Key Factors that Directly Influence the Problem

Patients and hospitals face the risk of HAIs due to several factors, including antibiotic treatment, the presence of underlying conditions, and the use of invasive medical equipment (Ranjbar, Kelishadrokhi, & Chehelgerdi, 2019).

Factor that Directly Relates to the Problem

Precise Unit of Measurement (Days, Dollars, %, etc.)

Authoritative Source(s)

Antibiotic use Length of stay (days) Monegro, Muppidi, & Regunath, 2020
Underlying condition Rate of hospitalization CDC Covid-19 Response Team et al., 2020
Invasive medical device % of surgical site infection Peters et al., 2019

Project Topic Selection Value Proposition to the Organization

The practical assessment of HAIs in the healthcare sector will provide valuable evidence to the administration of Northwell Hospitals System regarding strategies for future quality improvement.

Value Proposition/Contribution to My Professional Interests/Goals

HAIs significantly impact healthcare services by extending hospital stays, causing preventable deaths, and increasing care costs (Haque et al., 2018). This proposal aims to enhance understanding of the influence and magnitude of critical factors such as antibiotic use, patients’ underlying conditions, and invasive medical devices (Peters et al., 2019). The statistical analysis in this capstone project will broaden my perspective on risk management in healthcare and provide a deeper understanding of plans, policies, and discrepancies in reducing healthcare-associated infections, aligning my contributions with the administrative goals.

Background: Review of the Literature

Authoritative Source (APA Format)

How the Source Directly Relates to the Problem (One-Sentence Summary)

Adams, E., Quinn, M., Tsay, S., Poirot, E., Chaturvedi, S., Southwick, K., & Zucker, H. (2018) This paper analyzes the trends of infection caused by Candida auris in New York between 2013 and 2017.
Haque, M., Sartelli, M., McKimm, J., & Bakar, M. A. (2018) This article provides an overview of HAIs, including a brief history, types, and current trends in HAI infections in hospitals in the USA.
Peters, L., Olson, L., Khu, D. T., Linnros, S., Le, N. K., Hanberger, H., & Larsson, M. (2019) This paper analyzes antibiotic resistance by focusing on the rate of mortality or discharge as a unit of measure.
CDC Covid-19 Response Team et al. (2020) This study determines the susceptibility of patients with underlying conditions to contracting COVID-19 when hospitalized.
Mehta, Y., Gupta, A., Todi, S., Myatra, S., Samaddar, D. P., Patil, V., Bhattacharya, P. K., & Ramasubban, S. (2014) This article outlines various guidelines and evidence-based recommendations to minimize HAIs.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). National and state healthcare-associated infections progress report [Internet]. 2019 [cited Sept. 7, 2023].

Haque, M., Sartelli, M., McKimm, J., & Bakar, M. A. (2018). Hospital-acquired infections—an overview. Infection and Drug Resistance, 11, 2321-2333. https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S177247

Monegro, A. F., Muppidi, V., & Regunath, H. (2020). The impact of antibiotic use on hospital length of stay. Journal of Hospital Medicine, 15(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.12788/jhm.3350

Mehta, Y., Gupta, A., Todi, S., Myatra, S., Samaddar, D. P., Patil, V., Bhattacharya, P. K., & Ramasubban, S. (2014). Guidelines for the management of hospital-acquired infections. Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine, 18(2), 1-10.