3 0 S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E M A Y 2 0 1 7
and stick with it.
"The more infections
we prevent, the less
likely we are to see
infections related to
antimicrobial-resistant
bacteria," says Richard
Martinello, MD, med-
ical director of infec-
tion prevention at Yale New Haven (Conn.) Hospital, which completely
revamped its infection prevention protocols to reduce the risk of SSIs and, by
extension, superbugs. The multifaceted effort involved a host of surgical profes-
sionals, and the same team-based approach is required at your facility to
address these pillars of good infection control practice.
1. Tackle low-hanging fruit. The first step of Yale New Haven's program
involved the basics: ensuring patients were properly warmed, pre-op skin preps
were standardized (staff created an in-house video that shows the correct way
to apply various preps), surgical attire was worn properly, foot traffic in ORs
was minimized and staff practiced proper hand hygiene.
Have written policies and procedures in place for preventing the transmission
and acquisition of
multidrug-resistant organisms in patients and staff, suggests Ms. Segal. Those
efforts should begin at the time of the pre-op phone call, when the right screen-
ing questions can indicate which patients might be carriers of dangerous infec-
tions. Ask patients if they have a current antibiotic-resistant infection or have a
history of such infections. Have they had a recent infection of any kind? Have
they ever been treated for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA is
the culprit for most SSIs, notes Ms. Segal)?
• A LEG UP Standardized prepping protocols is an effective way to limit risk of SSIs.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
