Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Special Outpatient Surgery Edition - Infection Control - May 2018

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

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M A y 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 9 eliminating a major source of microbial contamination and transmission in the OR, but standardizing prepping practices is no easy task. It took us 2 years and lots of hard work to integrate uniform routines into routine practice. Here are the keys to our ongoing efforts to pro- tect patients from themselves. 1. Partner with patients Patients who are scheduled to undergo complex procedures such as joint replacements should be required to shower the day before sur- gery with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) soap. Also have them treat their skin with CHG wipes before donning gowns in pre-op. Educating patients about how to use CHG products, stressing the importance of prepping the skin before surgery and even providing patients with kits that contain all the supplies needed for pre-op bathing will boost their compliance with your directives. 2. Make it easy Staff should be able to implement standardized prepping protocols without a lot of extra effort. Include needed prepping supplies on sur- • PINK PROTECTION Nurses who apply preps should wear brightly colored gowns to alert other members of the surgical team that an important job is underway. Brittany Harvey, MSN, MBA, RN, CNOR

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