prepping and patient
care practices, but
weren't able to pin-
point significant issues
that would have led to
such a worrisome
jump in SSIs. Still,
they had to do some-
thing to address the
issue.
The facility's infec-
tion preventionist and
a general surgeon led
the staff on a back-to-
basics approach to
infection prevention
practices. Their efforts
worked: Last year, the
hospital's infection
rate dropped to 5.5%.
It was a decrease wor-
thy of recognition and
celebration, but
Atrium Health wins the 2018 OR Excellence Award in Infection
Prevention for refusing to settle for good results when they knew they
were capable of achieving great outcomes.
"It was motivating to see positive change," says Teresa Burwell,
MHR, BSN, RN, NE-BC, CGRN, the hospital's director of perioperative
services. "When we realized such a big drop in SSI rates after making
small adjustments, we wondered how much better our infection pre-
7 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 • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8
• FRESH START The surgical team dons clean gloves and gowns to close incisions
with the aim of reducing the risk of contaminating the wound with bacteria.
Atrium
Health-CHS
Lincoln