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times in the early going that wipes delivered via snail mail didn't arrive in time. We also do everything we can to give patients personal instruction. If they can't make it to a class, our joint center coordinator is available to provide one-on-one training.
Including the instruction in our classes is a key component of our success. One of the reasons we'd spent so much time talking about improving our procedure, but hadn't done it, was that we'd had trouble conceptualizing how best to distribute the wipes and other materials. The classes take the pressure off, because we don't have to get in touch with all the surgeons' offices and work through them. It was a lot easier to implement because it's centralized. Once we modified the classes to add the focus on prevention, very little tweaking was needed. The education we provide is very thorough and is undoubtedly responsible for the high compliance rates we've seen. If our patients have any problems, they know what to do and whom to call. As a final assurance, we also have representatives from our surgical department call and remind patients when it's time to start using the wipes.
When time is limited
Naturally, unexpected add-on cases can be a challenge. If we have only a few days' advance notice, there's very little time to properly educate patients and get 3 days' worth of bathing done. So we make it a priority to work closely with the surgical scheduler and surgeons' offices and to convey how important it is for patients to get to class and get the prevention guidance they need. Fortunately, patients are coming to us more educated these days. AARP published an article a while ago explaining the benefits of CHG bathing, so we've even had patients come in asking about the wipes.
Our 98% compliance rate would be even higher, but we tend to get
