Research Proposal Sample on Do nurses in radiology wash their hands adequately and of specified time length?

Do nurses in radiology wash their hands adequately and of specified time length?

1.0 Introduction

Radiology refers to the specialty of medicine which deals with the application of imaging technology such as x-ray and radiation to diagnosing and treating disease. Interventional radiology is performed with the guidance of imaging technologies. Medical imaging is a function of the radiographer or the radiologic technologist. Radiology nurses also perform the medical procedure wherein they provide care and support to patients undergoing diagnosis in radiation imaging environments. Some of the medical procedures that radiology nurses involve in are ultrasonography, magnetic resonance and radiation oncology.

On the other hand, medical hand hygiene pertains to the hygiene practices related to the administration of medicine and medical care which aimed at preventing or minimizing disease and the spread of these diseases. Hand hygiene purports to cleanse the hands of pathogens and chemicals which can further cause personal harm or disease, and is done for a minimum of 15 seconds to 2 to 6 minutes to 10 minutes. Nursing literature had long recognized the importance of good hand hygiene as a major factor in preventing the spread of illness in the care environment. Ellwood (2002) noted that it is very unlikely that health care practitioners observe such a vital practice.

For radiology nurses, they have a great opportunity to control nosocomial infection by attending to hand washing. If radiology nurses perform poorly on this, rates of infection would be high and if they will perform well, patients will be spared of the excess morbidity, mortality, longer hospitalizations, psychologic and social distress, and increased health care costs associated with preventable infections (Delaney and Gunderman, 2008). In radiology nursing further, it is yet to discover whether nurses are consistent in performing such necessary act.

2.0 Problem Statement

The key question that will be addressed in this study is - Do radiology nurses adhere to the standard procedure of hand hygiene adequately and effectively? Other research questions are:

1) How do radiology nurses perceive the procedure of hand hygiene?

2) Generally, are radiology nurses aware of the detriments of improper hand hygiene?

3) What are the reasons why radiology nurses perform poorly or well when it comes to hand hygiene?

3.0 Aim and Objectives

The main aim of this study is to evaluate whether radiology nurses are well-aware and competent of the hand hygiene procedure. Specifically, the research purports to:

· Determine the perceptions of radiology nurses of hand hygiene

· Distinguish the reasons behind why radiology nurses perform, inadequately perform and do not perform hand hygiene

4.0 Methodology

The research strategy that the study will utilize is the descriptive method. A descriptive research intends to present facts concerning the nature and status of a situation, as it exists at the time of the study (Creswell, 1994). It is also concerned with relationships and practices that exist, beliefs and processes that are ongoing, effects that are being felt, or trends that are developing (Best, 1970). In addition, such approach tries to describe present conditions, events or systems based on the impressions or reactions of the respondents of the research (Creswell, 1994). Descriptive studies make use of observation. The researcher will observe and record the process and the time spent by radiology nurses in washing their hands through n observation log/schedule.

This research is also cross-sectional because of limited time. This research is a study of a particular phenomenon (or phenomena) at a particular time. (Saunders et al, 2003) Accordingly, cross-sectional studies often employ the survey strategy, and they may be seeking to describe the incidence of a phenomenon or to compare factors in different organizations. The study will survey 100 radiology nurses.

In this study, primary and secondary research will be both incorporated. The reason for this is to be able to provide adequate discussion for the readers that will help them understand more about the issue and the different variables that involve with it. The primary data for the study will be represented by the survey results that will be acquired from the respondents. On the other hand, the literature reviews to be presented in the second chapter of the study will represent the secondary data of the study. The secondary sources of data will come from published articles from books, journals and theses and related studies.

References

Best, J. W. (1970). Research in Education, 2^nd Ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, Inc.

Creswell, J.W. 1994. Research design. Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.

Delaney, L R & Gunderman, R B 2008, Hand Hygiene, Radiology Journal.

Ellwood, J 2002, 'Hands on: a critical look at infection control,' retrieved on 27 October 2009, from http://www.aromacaring.co.uk.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2003). Research Methods for Business Students, 3^rd Ed. London: Prentice Hall Financial Times.