Outpatient facilities
are already feeling the
pressure to improve
their antibiotic stew-
ardship, pressure
that's only going to
intensify. Those of us
on the front lines of
infection prevention
are going to need to
be creative. We're
going to need to find
other ways to fight against surgical site infections. Thankfully, there
are plenty of other very effective weapons in the infection-control
armory that are either relatively new, or — in my estimation — under-
used.
Some you may not yet know about; others may sound like straight-
forward reminders of what we should already know. Some are rela-
tively inexpensive; others are fairly costly. Keep in mind that a single
preventable infection can not only cost your facility a fortune, it can
ruin its reputation, and potentially take a life.
1. Nasal decolonization
MRSA presents a challenge for many outpatient facilities, and more
and more of my clients are asking for guidance on how to handle it.
Some outpatient facilities simply refuse to do surgery on patients with
a history of MRSA, regardless of whether they currently show any
signs or symptoms, which is a shame, because they're both turning
away business and inconveniencing patients who'd prefer not to be
hospitalized.
4 8 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J U N E 2 0 1 7
• NARES DO WELL Preps that decolonize MRSA without the need for culturing and
antibiotics are a big step forward.