Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Doctor of Healthcare Administration (D.H.A.)

School

Health Services

Advisor

Miriam Ross

Abstract

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), specifically clostridioides difficile (CDI) and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia, increase mortality and length of stay and cost the United States billions of dollars each year. Though preventable, continued incidence demonstrates that infection prevention interventions remain challenging for health system administrators. The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify whether there was a significant difference between Magnet accreditation and non-Magnet accreditation and the frequency of HAIs, specifically, CDI and MRSA bacteremia. The independent variable was Magnet accreditation status; the dependent variables were CDI and MRSA bacteremia. The foundation of the study focused on Donabedian’s framework of structure, process, and outcomes in improving quality care. Data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid in 2021, provided a combined sample size of 4,745. The standardized infection ratios (SIRs) for the dependent variables were categorized by Magnet status and were analyzed with a Mann-Whitney U test. Results demonstrated a significant difference in the mean rank of the SIRs between the Magnet accredited and non-Magnet accredited organizations (p<.001) for both research questions. Magnet accredited hospitals outperformed non-Magnet accredited hospitals for hospital-acquired MRSA bacteremia but performed worse than non-Magnet accredited hospitals for CDI. The study contributes to positive social change through the potential implementation of organizational strategies, which may decrease healthcare costs and HAIs, resulting in reductions in mortality and inpatient length of stay while improving quality patient outcomes.

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