The following appeared in a memo from the director of a large group of hospitals.
"In a controlled laboratory study of liquid hand soaps, a concentrated solution of extra strength UltraClean hand soap produced a 40 percent greater reduction in harmful bacteria than did the liquid hand soaps currently used in our hospitals. During our recent test of regular-strength UltraClean with doctors, nurses, and visitors at our hospital in Worktown, the hospital reported significantly fewer cases of patient infection (a 20 percent reduction) than did any of the other hospitals in our group. The explanation for the 20 percent reduction in patient infections is the use of UltraClean soap."
Write a response in which you discuss one or more alternative explanations that could rival the proposed explanation and explain how your explanation(s) can plausibly account for the facts presented in the argument.
The following argument is a memo describing the benefits of UltraClean soap. The director of a large group of hospitals claims that the use of Ultra clean soap lead to a 20 percent decrease of patient infection. The author does provide some evidence to back the thesis, but there are also a number of reasons that could have lead to the 20 percent decrease of infections.
The first alternate reason why there could have been a 20 percent decrease of patient infections could have been due to improved cleaning techniques. Sick patients are laden with bacteria and this bacteria can easily transfer from the patient to bed sheets, toilet seats etc. Perhaps the cleaning crew in the hospital simply did a better job of cleaning the patient’s linen and toilets. The hospital cleaning crew could be using a stronger disinfectant, or be washing the linens at a hotter temperature. These two variables could definitely contribute to a decrease of patient infection.
The second alternate reason for the decrease of patient infection could be the time of the year. If this experiment was performed during the summer months, the potential for the flu and colds would be drastically decreased. The argument would have been much stronger had the author done controlled tests throughout the year. When dealing with patients in a hospital , you have to take into consideration that they have a weakened immune system . This weakened immune system will make them more succeptable to the common cold and flu.
The third alternate reason for the decrease of patient infection could be that the hospital staff has gotten much smarter and more efficient at preventing infection. A recent NY Times article showed the need for hospital staff to be much more preventative in the treatment of bed sores. A patient who does not get moved, jostled , or lightly stretched is much more open to contracting bed sores. These sore easily become infected and can lead to amputation or death. Perhaps the hospital staff did a better job of moving the hospital patients to decrease infection via bed sores.
In conclusion, the director of multiple hospitals is singing the tune of UltraClean soap. In this argument, the director attributes a 20 percent decrease in infection due to the use of ULtraClean soap. The argument leaves to much room for alternative reasons for the decrease in infections.
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