Qualitative Research
My qualitative publications to date primarily focus on the implementation of infection prevention and control practices in maternal and neonatal care settings, as well as burnout and the worker experience of certified nursing assistants and environmental service workers in long-term care settings.
01
At AWHONN's 2023 Annual Convention, we conducted two in-person focus groups with 16 participants. Our team engaged with nurses working in labor and delivery to discuss their experiences with infection prevention and control practices while caring for laboring patients to inform the development of tools and resources. They cited individual and facility-level accountability, inconsistent guidance, and the unpredictable nature of the unit as barriers.
02
Our team met remotely with 8 pediatricians and neonatologists to conduct key informant interviews over Microsoft teams. Our goal was to understand the complexities of the neonatal intensive care unit and gather their perspectives in improving infection prevention and control policies with a unique and vulnerable population to inform guidance development. They observed hand hygiene compliance, the complexity of the care environment, and the need to balance family and infant needs with infection prevention and control needs as barriers to infection prevention among neonates.
03
At IDSOG's 2022 Annual Convention, we conducted two in-person focus groups with 18 participants. Our team engaged with obstetrician gynecologists working in labor and delivery to discuss their experiences with infection prevention and control practices while caring for laboring patients to inform the development of tools and resources. They cited the urgent and variable pace of the unit, inadequate training, a lack of access to infection control resources, and women's healthcare not being prioritized as barriers.
04
Our team moderated and analyzed 8 remote focus groups on Zoom with 58 Certified Nursing Assistants. This study was aimed at those who had left the profession or were planning to leave their current position in the acute care setting. We wanted to understand the factors that contributed to their feelings of burnout, which included high patient ratios, a lack of respect from their colleagues and leadership, and insufficient pay.
05
Our team moderated and analyzed 23 remote focus groups on Zoom with 110 participants. Roughly half were Environmental Service Workers and half were Certified Nursing Assistants who worked in nursing homes. Our aim was to garner the perspectives of these groups to understand the individual and facility-level factors that contributed to issues such as burnout, staffing shortages, and lapses in infection prevention and control during the COVID-19 pandemic.