Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Special Outpatient Surgery Edition - Infection Control - May 2019

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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1 6 • 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 9 W hen our facility noticed an uptick in surgical site infections at the end of 2014, it galvanized our team. Instead of pointing fingers or, worse, accept- ing the fact that eliminating infections is an unat- tainable goal, we came together and went back to the drawing board. What followed was a team-based, multilevel approach that begins soon after patients are scheduled for surgery. It worked. Within 2 years, our SSI rates for colon procedures went from 10.7% to 0%, and hysterectomy SSI rates dropped from 7.8% to 0.6%. SSIs decreased significantly in a number of additional areas, as well. Here's how we overhauled our SSI prevention protocols and Megan Lamoreux, BSN, RN, CNOR | Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Inside Our Zero-Tolerance Policy for SSIs A team-based approach to implementing comprehensive protocols has led to a significant dip in infection rates. • SET A GOAL Focusing on the elimination of surgical site infections will help drive the change that will create real progress.

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