1 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • A U G U S T 2 0 1 9
T
he best defense for battling surgical site infec-
tions is a good offense. And part of a good
offensive game plan is to make sure your OR
nurses understand the importance of the chlorhexi-
dine gluconate (CHG) bath in fighting SSIs.
Pre-surgical baths using an antibacterial prod-
uct have proven to decrease SSIs. We have a proto-
col that patients have a CHG bath the night before
surgery, then again on the morning of surgery.
When we see our outpatients in a pre-surgery clin-
ic, we educate them on how to perform the CHG
bath at home. While we're proud of our low infec-
tion rates, we continue to prioritize inpatient
baths, as well as the accurate and consistent docu-
mentation of those baths.
Chart the course
To do that, we conducted a study to find out if edu-
cating our nurses and techs on pre-surgical baths
impacted compliance with completion and proper
Pre-surgical Baths in the Battle Against SSIs
Training your staff — and your patients — to perform CHG baths.
Pre-Operative Planner
Denice Morrison, RN, BC, MSN, CNOR
• DUSK AND DAWN Patients should take a CHG bath the night before and the morning of surgery.
North
Kansas
City
(Mo.)
Hospital
