The Sampling Strategy in the - Research Proposal Example

Various characteristics will be used to form the basis of inclusion or exclusion in this research (LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 2014). They include:

1. Age: at least 18 years
2. Intubated patients in the ICU
3. Period: within 24 hrs after intubation
4. No prior diagnosis of pneumonia during intubation
Overview and rationale for setting location

Critically ill adults in 8 intensive care units will be enrolled within 24 hrs of intubation in the research with a 2 x 2 factorial design. The 2 x 2 factorial design implies that the patients will be divided into two equal groups each comprising 250 participants. The control group is subjected to a tooth brushing technique and the other group antiseptic agent (Chlorhexidine). This number of patients will satisfy the ratio of 30 individuals per variable. Patients excluded from the research are those with a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia at the time of intubation (Munro, Grap, Jones, McClish & Sessler, 2009). The development of VAP will be determined through the use of CPIS (Clinical Pulmonary Infection Score). The rationale for setting this location is to obtain reliable information about the prevention of VAP in critically ill adults in the ICU environment.

Sampling Strategy

The sampling strategy in this research proposal is probability sampling and in specific, the technique employed is the criterion. Probability sampling is the most valid strategy to attain statistical generalization (Gerrish & Lathlean, 2015). Criterion sampling is carried out based on one or more standards for selection. For instance, in this case, the focus is on the use of a toothbrush and antiseptic agent (Chlorhexidine) on critically ill patients in the ICU. Moreover, this strategy will assist to choose participants that are capable of giving results of this research on aspects of prevention of VAP in ICU using oral care hygiene that is poorly understood (Boswell & Cannon, 2014).

Research Design

The research design for this proposal is a parallel trial design. In research using this design, the parallel groups’ investigations are not limited to a specified period, but rather until either of the treatment group exhibits a clear benefit. These experiments last until the time one treatment is more effective than the other (Gallin & Ognibene, 2012). In this case, the design will investigate the effectiveness of using the toothbrush method to provide oral care hygiene that is compared to the use of an antiseptic agent (Chlorhexidine). Therefore, the investigation will last for one year to produce enough evidence on underpinning which method proves to be more effective in the prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia in critically ill adults in the ICU. Read More