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O R E X C E L L E N C E. C O M S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | J U N E 2 0 1 4
I
s your facility coming out on top in the never-
ending war against surgical site infections? As
medical director of infection prevention and
division chief of infectious diseases at the
Cambridge (Mass.) Health Alliance, Lou Ann
Bruno-Murtha, DO, knows what it takes to reduce
infections and increase patient satisfaction. You'll
take home plenty of great ideas after her presenta-
tion "State of the Art in Surgical Infection
Prevention."
• Taking hand hygiene seriously. It requires
persistence, continuous monitoring and feedback.
After some initial failures, we instituted greater
accountability by having our hand hygiene champi-
ons enter into a database the name of the person
being observed. Compliant staff members get an
automated e-mail thanking them for preventing infec-
tions and keeping our patients safe. Non-compliant
staff and their managers get a series of e-mails,
depending on how many instances of non-compli-
ance are observed. The first clarifies policy and
expectations and invites their input. The second
includes a PowerPoint training module and an invita-
tion to meet for further education. The third, if neces-
sary, is a discussion with their manager or chief
about developing a performance improvement plan.
The approach worked. We've been able to achieve
K I C K E R
Lou Ann Bruno-Murtha, DO
where leaders meet, learn and grow together
Wi n ni n g t he Wa r A ga in st S S I s
The tips and techniques you need in your arsenal.
Speaker Profile
• Clinical instruc-
tor in medicine
at Har vard
Medical School.
• Infectious dis-
ease specialist.
• Recently studied
portable UV light
disinfection
devices.
• From Boston,
Mass.
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