Domain 6: Education and Research
Education and Research tests how to assess learning needs, design effective education, validate competency, and appraise or conduct research in infection prevention. The exam distinguishes education from behavior change and quality improvement from research.
Core rules and concepts
- Start with a needs assessment and measurable objectives; use adult-learning methods, case scenarios, and teach-back rather than lecture alone.
- Competency validation should include direct observation or chart audit, not only a posttest; Kirkpatrick levels progress from reaction to learning, behavior, and results.
- Research requires a focused question, appropriate design, bias control, ethical review, and informed consent when applicable; QI projects can be published but still may need IRB determination.
- Appraise evidence by design, effect size, confidence intervals, and applicability; statistical significance is not the same as clinical importance.
Worked example
A unit has high urine culture contamination. The reasoning is to assess staff knowledge and collection technique, deliver scenario-based training, and measure contamination rates before and after plus direct observation. A posttest alone would show learning but not whether practice changed; a run chart of contamination rates tests the intervention.
Traps
Using satisfaction scores as the only outcome, relying on education to fix a system problem, ignoring selection bias in a study, and reporting a p-value without effect size are common errors.