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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M A Y 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 9 Y ou're probably aware that most surgical site infections are caused by patients' microbial skin flora flaking into surgical wounds. You also know skin prepping eliminates resident and transient microbes on the body's first line of defense against infection and prevents the growth of microorgan- isms around the incision site. But are you certain your staff applies pre- op skin prep solutions correctly and allows enough time for them to dry? Don't count on it. National statistics show that surgical teams fol- low proper application instructions and allow for adequate dry times in fewer than half of all cases. You need to ensure your staff isn't part of that troubling trend, and Helen Johnson, MD | Vero Beach, Fla. Solving the Surprising Skin Prep Problem Believe it or not, there's a good chance your staff isn't complying with proper application protocols. SKIN IN THE GAME Prepping is the first defense against SSIs, which account for about 157,500 infections and $3.2 billion in healthcare costs each year. Pamela Bevelhymer, RN, BSN, CNOR

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