Director Now is very pleased to have the information provided by the qualitative study of the supervisors.

The data suggest that there are many possible explanations for why staff do not adequately wash their hands, including not understanding the guidelines, feeling too busy to wash hands for the suggested time, failing to see the link between the infection rate and hand washing, and simply forgetting to always wash their hands at all appropriate times.

Mr. Assist has several suggestions to increase the percentage of staff that wash their hands according to the standards and reduce the infection rate. He has four hypotheses:

• Training four times per year regarding proper hand washing and the rate of infection will reduce the infection rate.
• Increased signage in multiple languages about appropriate hand washing procedures will reduce the infection rate.
• Revising hospital policies to mandate that staff follow CDC hand washing procedures will reduce the infection rate.
• Developing effective procedures to ensure that all hand washing stations have adequate supplies 100% of the time will reduce the infection rate.

Director Now needs your recommendation of which hypothesis she should use in a final quality improvement effort.

For this Discussion, identify one of the hypotheses above and discuss its potential to reduce the infection rate. Assuming that Ms. Now would choose the hypothesis recommend the target population she should use to test the hypothesis and the specific sampling method for a subset of the target population that is realistic to include.

Be sure to define probability and non-random sampling in your own words with citations in the body of the text and references at the bottom of the post. Explain your choice for sampling by planning through effective analysis of the option, i.e., identifying strengths and weaknesses of your choice and why you believe the strengths outweigh the weaknesses.

IMPORTANT: Each person should pick a different hypothesis until all have been discussed at least once. This will enhance your discussion.

Recently Director Now read Trochim’s (2006) article on evaluation culture. She wants to create such a culture within the hospital. Please consider one of the following questions to help Director Now better understand an evaluative culture and what she needs to do to create such a culture.

• Mr. Assist believes that evaluative research is similar to action research. Do you agree? Analyze the similarities in the action research cycle presented in your textbook with that of the Planning-Evaluation Cycle discussed by Trochim (2006).
• What group of individuals in the hospital is most likely to accept the evaluation culture idea? Please explain your answer.
• How might Ms. Now introduce the idea of an evaluation culture that is in the spirit of such an idea?
• What type(s) of hospital activities seem best to be improved by evaluative research?

For this Discussion, focus on one of the questions above. Be sure to define the research terms in your own words with citations in the body of the text and references at the bottom of the post.