A hospital recently introduced an automated ultraviolet-light room sanitation system intended to lower patient infection rates. During the six months following the system's installation, the hospital reported a 30 percent drop in patient infection rates compared to the previous six-month period. Hospital administrators concluded that the ultraviolet sanitation system was directly responsible for the reduction in patient infections. Which of the following, if true, most seriously weakens the hospital administrators' conclusion?
- Three months prior to installing the system, the hospital implemented a strict hand-hygiene protocol and staff training program that significantly reduced bacterial transmission.Cevap
- BNearby regional hospitals that did not install the ultraviolet sanitation system experienced no change in their patient infection rates over the same period.
- COperating the ultraviolet sanitation system requires considerably more electrical power than conventional manual cleaning methods.
- DPatients surveyed after the installation reported higher satisfaction scores regarding overall room cleanliness.
- EThe total purchase cost of the ultraviolet equipment exceeded the hospital's initial departmental budget allocation.
Cevap
The statement regarding the implementation of a strict hand-hygiene protocol and staff training program three months prior to the installation of the ultraviolet system most seriously weakens the argument.
The correct answer provides an alternative explanation for the observed 30 percent decline in patient infections. If a comprehensive hand-hygiene protocol was instituted three months before the UV system was installed, that hygiene initiative could be the real reason infection rates decreased, thereby undermining the conclusion that the UV system was the primary cause.
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Weakening Causal Arguments via Alternative Causes