Assessment 1 Instructions: Research Problem and Purpose Statements

Select a hospital-acquired condition (HAC) that is relevant to a health care context with which you are familiar. Create a 2- to 3-page report that includes the research-based explanation of the background of a problem associated with your chosen HAC, as well as develop appropriate research problem and purpose statements.

Introduction

Note: The assessments in this course build upon each other. Therefore, you are strongly encouraged to complete them in the order in which they are presented.

A research problem statement expresses the issue or phenomenon that a project is seeking to solve or improve. It also helps to show readers the importance of the issue and defines the context for the study. To make problem statements more compelling, we can use the past research of others to improve care and inspire further research. A review of the literature can provide knowledge about what others found useful in addressing problems that are similar to the ones you face. By leveraging this evidence base, you can create clearer and more compelling problem statements.

The purpose statement tells the reader the intent of your research. Within the context of this course, it will be to make improvements related to one or more hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) of your choice. Take, for instance, the case of a hospital-acquired infection resulting from the insertion of a central line. You may determine through the literature search that there are other methods to prevent infections.

Perhaps you note that the staff in your organizations were not properly using sterile techniques and outlining a sterile field. Your new process may involve adopting better sterilization protocols prior to inserting a catheter. In order to make the change, you will need to provide evidence that this practice is based on research and is clearly accepted as the standard practice.

Demonstration of Proficiency

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

Competency 2: Develop a research question based on a hospital-acquired condition.
- Explain the background of a given research problem based on information in the literature.
- Apply evidence-based information to support the development of a given research problem.
Competency 3: Plan a research project.
- Develop a problem statement based on relevant literature.?
- Formulate a purpose statement supported by a review of the literature.
Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and respectful of the diversity, dignity, and integrity of others and is consistent with expectations for health care professionals.
- Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and respectful of the diversity, dignity, and integrity of others and is consistent with expectations for health care professionals.

Instructions

This assessment has three distinct parts.

Part 1: Background and Evidence

Relevant Scoring Guide Criteria:

Explain the background of a given research problem based on information in the literature.
Apply evidence-based information to support the development of a given research problem.
Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and respectful of the diversity, dignity, and integrity of others and is consistent with expectations for health care professionals.

For this section you will need to select one or more hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) from the list of Hospital-Acquired Conditions created by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). From your readings and independent research you will compose a background explanation of the HAC and how it is manifesting as an issue in a health care setting of your choice. You will also be creating an evidence-based rationale for why it is important to further study this particular HAC.

This first section should be one to two pages, with support from the literature for the background of the issue, the importance of the problem within the context of your chosen health care setting, and support for your purpose in pursuing your research project.

Part 2: Problem Statement

Relevant Scoring Guide Criteria:

Develop a problem statement based on relevant literature.
Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and respectful of the diversity, dignity, and integrity of others and is consistent with expectations for health care professionals.

For this part you will create a problem statement that developed out of your review of the literature related to the HAC(s). This problem statement will help to inform the research questions; you will develop these further in Assessments 2 and 3 and include them in your work for Assessment 4.

A well-written problem statement should be one or two sentences.

Problem Statement Checklist:

Identify the problem that led to the research.

Is it easy to determine?
Were there identifying words that justify the problem?
Was the rationale or justification of the problem clearly stated?
Do the words in the problem statement indicate the kind of study performed? What words in particular?
Was the evidence for the problem provided in the literature?

Part 3: Purpose Statement

Relevant Scoring Guide Criteria:

Formulate a purpose statement supported by a review of the literature.
Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and respectful of the diversity, dignity, and integrity of others and is consistent with expectations for health care professionals.

For this part, you will develop your purpose statement, which will clearly lay out what you would hope to accomplish as you work towards addressing the problem you have identified. Purpose statements should be grounded in the evidence and indicate the kind of study that will be performed. This purpose will help to inform the research questions you will develop in Assessments 2 and 3 and include in your work for Assessment 4.

A well-written purpose statement should be one or two sentences in length.

Purpose Statement Checklist:

Identify the purpose that led to the research study.

What does the study hope to accomplish? What are the desired outcomes?
Was the rationale or justification of the purpose clearly stated?
Do the words in the purpose statement indicate the kind of study performed? What words in particular?
Was the item cited as evidence for the purpose published within the last five years?

Additional Submission Requirements

Structure: Include a title page, table of contents, and reference page.
Length: There is no length requirement for this assessment. Most submissions that fully address all scoring guide criteria will be 2 to 3 pages in length.
References: Cite at least five current scholarly or professional resources.
Format: Use APA style for references and citations.
- You may wish to refer to the following APA resources to help with your structure, formatting, and style:
Font: Times New Roman font, 12 point, double-spaced for narrative portions only.Resources: Research, Theory, and Design
Babbie, E. R. (2017). The basics of social research (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage. Available from the Bookstore.
- Chapter 1, “Human Inquiry and Science,” pages 129.
  - This chapter examines the basics of social science and introduces some basic theory and terminology for social research.
- Chapter 2, “Paradigms, Theory, and Research,” pages 3059.
  - This chapter introduces a number of social research theories and paradigms that are commonly used in social science fields and research. Additionally, it touches upon the relationship between research theory and the real world.
- Chapter 4, “Research Design,” pages 89124.
  - This chapter explores the research design process in more details for research projects, including the types of studies and how to design a research project.
- Chapter 15, “Reading and Writing Social Research,” pages 447472.
  - This chapter provides some advice for how to approach reading research studies, as well as some tips on how to write and organize your own research.
Resources: Hospital-Acquired Conditions
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (n.d.). Hospital-acquired conditions. Retrieved from http://www.cms.gov/medicare/medicare-fee-for-servi…
- This website shows the categories of hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) as well as links to other CMS resources on HACs. This resource may be useful in helping you select an HAC for use as the context of your assessments throughout the course.
Institute for Healthcare Improvement. (n.d.). What zero looks like: Eliminating hospital-acquired infections. Retrieved from http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/ImprovementStor…
- This article examines efforts to eliminate hospital-acquired infections. It provides potentially useful context as to how improvement efforts are planned and implemented.
Cheney, C. (2016). How bundled repayments ratchet readmission rates downward. Retrieved from http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/finance/how-bundled-payments-ratchet-readmission-rates-downward#
- This article examines some of the financial considerations that are driving work towards reducing HACs and readmissions.
Resources: Vila Health: Formulating a Research Question
View the Vila Health: Formulating a Research Question | Transcript media piece. In this Vila Health simulation, you will be involved in analyzing and developing a research plan for a specific organization around an identified hospital-acquired condition (HAC). This process will mirror the steps you will take when completing the assessments throughout this course.