Impact of a Comprehensive Workplace Hand Hygiene Program - Article Review Paper Example

The Rationale for the Selection of the Article

In this paper, the author reviewed the peer-reviewed article titled "Impact of a Comprehensive Workplace Hand Hygiene Program on Employer Health Care Insurance Claims and Costs, Absenteeism, and Employee Perceptions and Practices by Arbogast, Moore-Schiltz, Jarvis, Harpster-Hagen, Hughes, & Parker" (2016). Arbogast et al (2016) meet the minimum requirements for a recommendable information material. It is the accuracy, authority, objectivity, currency, and coverage of the article that interested me to select it. For example, the article reports on rigorous research conducted on a contemporary problem hand hygiene. The author sought to investigate the efficacy of a multimodal hand hygiene intervention program in reducing health care insurance claims for hygiene preventable infections (eg, cold and influenza), absenteeism, and subjective impact on employees (Arbogast et al, 2016). Besides, the article is published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, which is peer-reviewed. I considered this an important aspect since the information contained must have been assessed to undergo the necessary quality control; therefore, the article can be associated with qualities such as objectivity, relevance, and validity. I also considered the currency aspect of the publication and the article fell within the recommended number of eyes it has taken after being published. Since it has current information, it follows that the researcher incorporated the up-to-date concepts of the topic under the study. The article is therefore effective and it is worth the choice for review with regard to the topic in question.

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The Question/ Issue Being Studied/ Discussed

The study documented in the article focuses on investigating the efficacy of the multimodal hand hygiene intervention program suggested for the reduction of claims on health care insurance. The interventional plan is connected to some level of hygiene preventable infections like cold and influenza, subjective impact and absenteeism on employees. The purpose of the study was formulated based on the ongoing issue of increased infection which is normally traced with a lack of proper hygiene. The researcher reduced the context to workplaces in which the interaction between the hands and the mouth are the major causes various forms of infections among the workers. The researcher recognized disease-causing organisms like viruses and bacteria are common in hygienic conditions despite the continued awareness of the need to ensure hygiene in the environment. The subsequent risks include the insurance claims among the workers after being affected the associated health issues. This issue prompted the researcher to conduct a study which suggested the program of multimodal hand hygiene intervention. The focuses on demonstrating how effective the program is concerning avoiding the worker claims.

The Methods Used

Literature Review

The research in question is conducted while considering the fact that other related studies had earlier been accomplished on the topic. The researcher used the information in these reference materials to gain equate background information on the topic. This was important for a better understanding of the area of study. The researcher considered the need for demonstrating academic honesty in the article by listing all the references for the books and articles used to inform the research. The A 13.5-month prospective, the randomized cluster-controlled trial was the most rigorous method for experimental studies because a sample of 604 participants was included in the study. The four years of retrospective data were collected for all participants which made the study representative of the entire population. Such a large sample size makes the research findings generalizable and transferable. Moreover, the researcher quoted the authorship of the works in them as a way of giving credit to the original owners of the works. The researcher effectively conducted the literature review by critically assessing their relevance and validity with respect to the topic under study. This made it easy to demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the research question. on the same note, the research was able to determine the research gap to know what needs further investigation. The research in question was therefore meant to address the gap identified.

Evaluation of an Actual Program

The actual program suggested for the problem under the research is the multimodal hygiene intervention. The researcher found out that the program was effective for its intended purpose; however, it took the researcher some evaluative steps to arrive at the conclusion. The researcher conducted a subjective survey in which he interacted with the resource persons who were to provide regarding their knowledge and perceptions of the health issue in question. The employees were allowed a period of two weeks to fill in the information to their best knowledge of the same. Further follow-up activities in the form of analysis and interpretation were conducted. The analysis revealed that the program is effective in helping to avoid such insurance claims. The researcher, therefore, used sufficient facts to conclude that the program was effective through the evaluation process.

Formative or Process Evaluation

The researcher took time to demonstrate the feasibility of the program before It would put into actual implementation. The aspects of the program were tried with the employees with varying conditions of hygiene. This focused on the characteristics associated with the participants at the time of the study. The researcher was able to interact with the participants regarding the condition of their and what would result later.

Summative or Impact Evaluation

The summative assessment was also conducted as the researcher showed emphasis on the suggested outcome. The expected outcome was the improvement in the employee health which is further targeted to reduce cases of employee insurance claims. The study in this context was well aligned with the result that the program should influence the working environment. The researcher must have initially known what the program should create among the workers. This implies that the researcher recognized that summative evaluation is based on the ultimate impact of the program suggested.

Conclusion

Lesson learned related to program evaluation

The students get to understand the intervention related to good office program through the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer that can be applied and used throughout the building with the help of hand sanitizers together with the hand wipes within the personal workspace. The student comes to realize that in the intervention group there was quite a good improvement in the hygiene status through the of modern and improved hygiene materials. The use of antibiotics resistances realized by the students have gone through a lot of crisis at quite an alarming rate with most of the hospitals currently recognized by the health agencies together with the united state government as posing an unacceptable risk to some kinds of infection.

The research that has been carried out by the national institute of health clearly show that the best to prevent the spreading of most of the drug-resistant bacteria keep your hand clean and practice maximum hygiene. The hygiene process should provide your body hygiene to what you consume. Most of the leading researchers and professional medical associations together with the currently white task force on matters that are related to antibiotics also recommended prevention as the best way to deal with and combat hygiene associated infections. Cleanliness together with alcohol-based sanitation processes is described as one of the best modality for fighting and preventing bacterial infection according to the researches that have been carried out by several health intervention plans.

One of the most important yet most ignored aspects of hygiene according to the study is the aspect of product selection. A proper formulation of surface cleaners, soaps, and detergents such as alcohol-based cleaner are much required to maximize on the microbial efficacy and help in achieving the general required human hygiene factors. Research shows that poor formulation more so in the design of hand soaps can lead to microbial contamination. A point that the entire group realized that has been missing in action and this has lead to several health hazards that are related to proper hygiene.

Lesson learned that reinforced prior information learned in the course

As a result of the product selection, this study set out to critically understand the impact that the specific product together with their application has on product usage. And this specific research has been achieved through monitoring of the shipments as they get into the sites and the natural selection of the sanitizers and soaps at the intervention sites. The common practice where workers attend job while sick also has a very adverse effect on the general health of the other employees. This is because most of the worker usually share several things and equipment such as toilets, working space and therefore when sick or infected with a bacterial disease, chances that this can be spread to other worker is on a high note. It is therefore advisable that any worker who is having a bacterial or microbial infection to take a leave and seek medical attention as that particular individual can act as a mode through which the disease can spread if proper hygiene measures are not accepted. Workplaces share most of the risk health factors, and employees share very close work quarters, share most of the open spaces and ties in a case of poor sanitation then the microbial infection can tamper.

Various research that has been accumulated over the previous year's shows that in a situation where there is well design wellness, and a proper program based evidence invention plans and the principle of health can achieve a significant improvement in the health system concerning the improved hygiene status. The impact might even be better if the culture emphasizes a culture of wealth, a situation where there are proper education and awareness on the importance of maintains good health. Appropriate knowledge of health campaign has served as one of the best tools to deal with hygiene awareness and to mobilize people on the importance of good hygiene.

The researcher also learned that project evaluation has many benefits including initiating communication among the project or program team, facilitating analytical thinking and honest discussions about a specific program, provides an opportunity to revisit the goals and to close any gaps that might exist between the vision and the reality of the program operations. Program evaluation also helps in identifying the elements of a program by strengthening and validating the existing knowledge and providing data to support the continuation of the activities. Program evaluation helps the program managers or leaders to articulate what they are learning about the program on their own. Finally, the researcher learned that program evaluation makes it easier to tell others what has been discovered in an individual plan or organization hence facilitating the sharing of lessons learned about successes and failures.

Determining the community assets for collective health improvement efforts to avoid the duplication or repetition of services or programs that already exist. Identify the drivers of community health improvement to help multiple stakeholders to determine contributions they can give towards improving the prioritized area and begin to put their efforts.