Reference no: EM133921603

Clinical Issue of Interest: Staffing Shortages and Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs)
Staffing shortages in acute care hospitals continue to be a pressing issue that directly affects the incidence of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). HAIs pose grave patient safety risks, extend hospital stays, raise healthcare costs, and may lead to higher mortality charges. Nurses play a pivotal role in preventing infections that involve clinical practices of wound care, hand hygiene, catheter care, and patient monitoring. Nearly half of the nursing homes across the country continue to struggle to secure PPE and adequately staff their facilities (Gibson, 2020). This clinical issue will be the foundation for exploring how staffing strategies influence infection rates, aiming to detect current solutions to alleviate the risks of inadequate staffing. Get expert-level assignment help in any subject.

PICOT Question
How can hospitals implement flexible staffing models compared to traditional fixed staffing schedules, and how does this affect the rate of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) over one year?

 Search Results
The initial searches involved databases such as CINAHL Plus, the Nursing & Allied Health database, and MEDLINE (Walden University Library. (n.d.-a). Typing the terms "staffing shortages" and "HAIs" yielded about 2,500 to 3000 articles, and adding terms with Boolean operators such as "AND" flexible staffing models" reduced the results to about 800 articles. Refining the search type with "acute care hospitals" and "infection control" narrowed the results to 300 original research articles.

Strategies to Increase Rigor and Effectiveness

Different strategies enhanced the search process, such as applying specific medical subject headings (MeSH).  Multiple databases, like the Cochrane Library, have comprehensive sources and diverse perspectives. Terminologies such as "nurse staffing strategies" and "nosocomial infections" targeted relevant research. Applying filters to limit searches is beneficial, such as having peer-reviewed studies within the last five years to ensure current relevance. Another example is optimizing the use of "AND," "OR," and "NOT" to refine searches based on specific data and needs. Exploring a list of references is an effective strategy for further relevant studies to elaborate on more details and understanding of the topics. For example, I could examine the reference lists of the articles I have already identified to find additional sources of evidence (Schmidt & Brown, 2025).  By implementing these strategies, you can investigate how various staffing models impact HAI rates. It serves as a valuable insight for improving healthcare policy and practice.