PICOT Statement for Healthcare Association Infections

¶ … Healthcare Associated Infections for the Nursing Profession Despite the most rigorous and comprehensive universal precautions, healthcare facilities are still germ-ridden environments that can introduce potentially deadly infections in patients. Hospitals and clinics in particular are notoriously infectious environments, and nosocomial infections due to methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRSA) are increasingly commonplace across the country (Boa & Rahube, 2013). For instance, Boa and Rahube emphasize that, "Numerous nosocomial MRSA outbreaks occur annually due to the widespread prevalence of MRSA within hospitals" (p. 50).

Besides the entire array of environmental reservoirs, one potential source of MRSA contamination in particular that many healthcare providers encounter on a routine basis are the public access computer keyboards that are used to input patient data and coordinate care (Boa & Rahube, 2013). For instance, a study by the University of Toledo examined 24 public access computer keyboards and identified two that were MRSA-contaminated (Boa & Rahube, 2013).

Based on the proliferation of computer keyboards in the healthcare workplace, more studies of this type are needed to determine the true scope of the problem but it is reasonable to suggest that it is widespread (Boa & Rahube, 2013) Given the potential for serious adverse healthcare outcomes that are associated with MRSA infections, it is clear that this problem requires more attention by all healthcare providers who use computers in the workplace (which is to say all healthcare providers) because of the high prevalence of MRSA carriage among this population (Saxena & Goyal, 2009).

P: Population The population of interest for this issue is comprised of nursing staff on critical care wards in a tertiary healthcare facility. I: Intervention or Variable of Interest: The variable of interest is exposure to infections due to contamination by computer keyboards in the healthcare workplace. The intervention is the use of disposable, thin plastic gloves for all computer usage.

C: Comparison: A comparison between the MRSA infection rates in a critical care nursing ward where all nurses use disposable plastic gloves and a comparable ward where nurses do not wear disposable plastic gloves will be conducted. O: Outcome: The comparison of MRSA infection rates on critical wards where nurses used plastic gloves with a ward where nurses do not should identify an opportunity to improve patient care by making this part of the facility-wide universal precautions policy. T:.