2 8
S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | A U G U S T 2 0 1 4
6. Be mindful and maintain perspective. Your operating
room is theoretically supposed to be sterile, but chances are it's not as sterile as
everyone thinks it is. There are organisms everywhere. The more you can limit
exposure to them, the better off your patients will be. Should you open a partic-
ular instrument at the beginning of surgery, or should you wait until you need it?
The more things lie out, the more likely they are to be contaminated. Education
and self-discipline are important components. Anything that increases the odds
that an organism will come into contact with a patient isn't a good thing.
Striving for zero
We've come a long way since we started this protocol — from an infection rate
of about 6% to one that's between 1% and 2%. But it's an ongoing process. We
continually review the literature to refine our best practices. We determine why
every infection occured and how we can prevent it the next time. We consider
every infection a failure. That's what motivates us to keep striving for zero.
OSM
Dr. Harrop (
ja mes.ha rrop@jefferson.edu
) is the division director for adult recon-
structive spine at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, Pa.
P R E V E N T I N G I N F E C T I O N S
