Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Special Edition: Infection Control - May 2020 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

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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clinical and business cases for each. Surgeons had to list the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) associ- ated with their products of choice. The analysis revealed two dozen products were being used for prepping, so a meeting was held to focus on the essential products they planned to keep. Then, administration came in with critical information in terms of pric- ing, supply availability and the ever-important customer service component. "If a product's vendor will instruct my team on exactly how to use a prepping solution according to its IFUs, provide regular teaching support and pick up the phone whenever we call, that's going to have significant play in terms of my decision," says Dr. Saleh. Technique matters Limiting your choices of prepping solutions will cut down on variations in application requirements, but you still need to be vigilant to prevent poor prep. "You have to keep entering the OR and conducting blind audits," says Mr. Hixson. "If you're not constantly critiquing staff, they get lax in their practice." During audits, make sure staff follow these basic skin prepping practices: • Proper application. Have a clear understanding of how each prep- ping solution needs to be applied. For example, when performing a chlorhexidine gluconate prep, start at the incision site and work out in concentric circles. Don't reverse direction once you move away from the site. "Some clinicians have a tendency to [go back] into the area they just prepped," says Mr. Hixson. "Explain to them that mov- ing from a dirty to clean area can contaminate the area around the surgical site." • Adequate coverage. Properly assess the patient prior to prepping M A Y 2 0 2 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 3 5

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