Outpatient Surgery Magazine

The Power to Prevent SSIs - June 2017 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

Issue link: http://outpatientsurgery.uberflip.com/i/836658

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 24 of 132

depends on the agent you use, appropriate contact and drying time, and — most important — friction. We held a staff in-service to review the steps as outlined by The Joint Commission. First things first. Perform hand hygiene and don sterile gloves (as required). Then open a new alcohol or chlorhexidine pad to disinfect the catheter hub/port/vial. Unless directed otherwise by the manufac- turer's instructions, rub for 10 to 15 seconds or for 30 twists, generat- ing friction by scrubbing in a twisting motion as if you were juicing an orange (15 seconds is longer than you think!). Make sure you scrub the top of the hub/port/vial well, not just the sides. Never reuse alco- hol prep pads. Let the hub/port/vial dry. Prevent it from touching any- thing while drying. Now you're set to infuse medication. Finally, don't forget to perform hand hygiene after you discard the gloves. As an added precaution to reduce bloodstream infections in patients, you can use alcohol-impregnated port protectors, scrubbing devices and needleless neutral displacement connectors in addition to scrubbing the hub. OSM Ms. Holder (bholder@andrewsinstitutesc.com) is the Quality Improvement coordinator at the Andrews Institute Ambulatory Surgery Center in Gulf Breeze, Fla. J U N E 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 5

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Outpatient Surgery Magazine - The Power to Prevent SSIs - June 2017 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine