6 0 • 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 patients arrive at our hospital's same day sur-
gery unit, we give them a package of 2% chlorhex-
idine wipes and ask them to rub down the surgi-
cal site. Then, about an hour before their proce-
dure, a pre-op nurse snaps open an ampule con-
taining an alcohol-based sanitizer and instructs them to swab the
inside of each nostril. Staphylococcus aureus pathogens that lurk in
the nares are killed in a matter of minutes.
We Succeeded With Nasal Decolonization
Our protocol is easy to implement,
cost-effective and widely accepted by patients.
• NEW APPROACH Saint Francis Hospital eliminated the need for patients to perform nasal decolonization at home in favor of
an onsite program — and its SSI rate has steadily declined.
Kate
Johnston/Saint
Francis
Hospital
Joanne M. Epstein, BSN, RN, CNOR | Wilmington, Del.
