Quentin Michalchuk Assignment 2:3 Progress Report Memorandum

ENGL 301 Assignment 2.3: MEMORANDUM

To: Dr. Erika Paterson, ENGL301 Professor
From: Quentin Michalchuk, ENGL301 Student, Pencil Pack
Date: November 13, 2020
Subject: Progress Report on ‘Optimizing and Implementing a Hand Hygiene Program at the British Columbia Children’s and Women’s Hospital Campus’

Hello Dr. Paterson,

Please find the progress achieved on the Formal Report below, including a schedule/calendar of intended future productivity.

Audience

The target audience of this Formal Report is the Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) team, who are tasked with development and implementation of the hand hygiene project in question.  Specifically, Dr. Jocelyn Srigley, a medical microbiologist at the BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital (BCCH) and the corporate director of the IPAC as well as the Provincial Health Services Authority quality improvement initiative lead, Joanne Fernando.  These two healthcare workers are spearheading the implementation of the hand hygiene at the BCCH and thus have the capacity to turn the suggestions of the Formal Report into reality.

Purpose

The purpose of the report is to:

• Understand why hand hygiene compliance has been so low in all populations
• Identify how the COVID-19 situation has impacted hand hygiene practices and behaviour at the BCCH
• Summarize and understand the most important elements of the implemented campaign
• Develop a program that can ensure healthcare worker (HCW) accountability
• Suggest novel multimodal tactics to support the HCW-based education of patients and visitors
• Communicate findings and suggestions to the IPAC based on primary resource feedback from students, HCW and those managing the IPAC taskforce

Significance

Hand hygiene concerns in light of the recent pandemic have been magnified.  With low rates of compliance in any population within the BCCH, systemic infection with COVID-19 may occur, shutting down hospital wards or units to prevent further spread.  This can have negative consequences on surrounding communities, mandating stricter quarantine guidelines to prevent further spread and promoting isolating environments that are potentially harmful for both physical and mental health.  Thus, it is integral that this hand hygiene program be effective and efficient in increasing hand hygiene awareness and practice.

Research Plan

This report researches the topic via the following stepwise investigations:

• Elucidate why the hand hygiene compliance rate is low
• Gather supporting statistics on the hand hygiene compliance rates in similar clinical environments
• Evidence-based analysis of COVID-19 and its impact on hand hygiene
• Gather feedback on effective hand hygiene implementation methodologies and the current situation
• Analysis of survey and interview questions for possible visual representation

This information will be gathered via the following sources:

Primary Sources:

• Interviews with BCCH staff involved in the program’s implementation
• Written surveys addressing UBC students
• Written surveys targeted towards HCWs

Secondary Sources:

• Review studies regarding hand hygiene implementation in clinical settings
• Recommended literature suggested by the IPAC on the topic 

Writing Schedule 

The Formal Report will be completed by strictly sticking to the schedule detailed below, as if it is a calendar.  Routine daily checking of the “calendar” below will ensure the schedule is followed. 

• November 15^th: Contact Dr. Srigley and Ms. Fernando, requesting their participation in an interview and scheduling once consent is received
• November 15^th: Within the same email, asking if the IPAC workers can incorporate the survey for HCW into a newsletter (survey included)
• November 16^th-22^nd: Surveys broadcasted to students on social media, notifying them of the research and requesting input (survey included)
• November 23^rd: Analysis of survey results; secondary research
• November 27^th: Research review and summary
• December 1^st: Complete Formal Report Draft for posting to the team forum
• December 10^th: Peer Review of Formal Report Draft posted on the team forum
• December 11^th: Revise the Formal Report based on the peer review
• December 13^th: Additional revisions and data incorporation
• December 17^th: Formal Report completed for the deadline posted on the team forum

 

Thank you for your time in reading this lengthy memorandum.  Please provide comments and suggestions for improvement.

 

Enclosure:

ENGL 301 Interviews and Survey Questions

This document contains (in order):

The Survey for Students

The Survey for Healthcare Workers

The Interview for IPAC Staff