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 • M A y 2 0 1 8
L
ook at your patients' skin. Look closer. You can't see
them, but they're there. Millions of microorganisms that
have the potential to cause infection if they flake off into
surgical incisions. That's not unlikely to happen, either,
considering that skin sheds approximately 10 million
particles each day. Skin antisepsis is therefore the critical first step of
Brittany Harvey, MSN, MBA, RN, CNOR | Morgantown, W.Va.
5 Ways to Standardize Skin Prepping Practices
Applying preps the same way every time eliminates
the variables that increase infection risk.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
• LESS IS MORE Stocking a variety of skin
prepping agents leaves too much room for error.
