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 9
ownership stake in the process. Monitor their performance on a weekly or
monthly basis to ensure they're complying with the bundle's protocols.
Once you build the framework for implementing bundled care for cases with
the most critical need of improvement, you'll more easily apply the same princi-
ples to other areas of concern. A bundled approach also dovetails with the
emerging trend of the continuum of care, which involves placing patients on
specific pathways that optimize their treatment as they move from the clinic to
the OR and back home after discharge. It's where health care is heading, and
your infection control efforts should follow.
OSM
Dr. Wick (ewick1@jhmi.edu) is a colorectal
surgeon at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Md.
