Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
4-28-2026
First Advisor
Lisa Drake
Second Advisor
Paige Wimberley
Abstract
A community hospital set strategic goals to achieve Vizient top-decile performance and drive continuous improvement by reducing surgical site infection (SSI) rates. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to support this goal by implementing an evidence-based educational intervention to improve nurses' perceived knowledge and self-reported ability with the chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) bathing protocol for hysterectomy patients. Guided by Lewin's Change Theory, the Iowa Model Revised, and the Iowa Implementation Framework, the educational intervention applied a structured approach to address behavioral and organizational barriers contributing to protocol noncompliance. A quantitative, quasi-experimental pre- and post-intervention design was used to evaluate the effect of an educational intervention with preoperative nursing staff (N=19). Data were collected using a 14-item questionnaire (α = .949) assessing participants' perceived knowledge, self-reported ability, and practice related to CHG bathing pre- and post-intervention. Findings from the project indicate that post-intervention scores increased across 12 of 14 measures, with statistically significant improvements (p < .05) noted in CHG purpose (t(18) = -2.191, p = .042, d = 0.503), cloth application (t(17) = -2.715, p = .015, d = 0.640), liquid preparation (t(18) = -2.480, p = .023, d = 0.569), patient education (t(18) = -2.882, p = .010, d = 0.661), documentation (t(18) = -3.637, p = .002, d = 0.834), and noncompliance management (t(16) = -3.392, p = .004, d = 0.823). Effect sizes ranged from medium to large (d = 0.503–0.869), indicating practically significant improvements across targeted constructs. The findings from this project indicate that education on standardized preoperative CHG bathing significantly improves nursing perceived knowledge and self-reported ability and yields potentially sustainable prevention strategies aimed at reducing hysterectomy-related SSIs. These findings align with the current literature, which indicates that structured education on CHG bathing reduces SSI infections.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Spencer, Kaonta, "Quality Improvement Project: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Chlorhexidine Gluconate Bathing Education on Staff Perceived Knowledge" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 325.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/325
