M A Y 2 0 1 6 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 1 1
That low number impacts SSI rates,
says study author Khaled J. Saleh, MD,
MSc, FRCSC, MHCM, CPE, president
of the nonprofit organization
Orthopaedic Education in
Charlottesville, Va. "Skin prepping is
so important in infection prevention
because it's the simplest step to take,"
he says. "Standardizing the protocols
has been shown to save lives,
decrease complications and ultimately
lower costs." With those worthy goals
in mind, take a look at how you can
maintain consistent compliance with
these 3 essential skin-prepping prac-
tices.
1. Pre-op bathing
According to the CDC and AORN,
patients should shower at least once
the night before or the day of surgery
with soap or an antiseptic solution. Dr.
Saleh argues that the science backs up
the use of a CHG solution or wipe
both the night before and the day of
surgery for certain procedures where
"an infection can have detrimental
effects on the post-operative course,
such as total joint replacement."
Practices
• HANDS ON To standardize your skin prep protocol, give staffers
the tools and education they need to do the job correctly.
found that only around one-fourth of
257 hospitals nationwide prepped their
patients' skin before surgery according
to national standards.
