M A Y 2 0 1 6 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 7
handed down from administration. You
should also simplify the bundle's protocols
and identify the stakeholders along the con-
tinuum of care: the physicians and nurses
who educate patients about the importance
of following infection control directives well
before surgery, the pre-op nurses who warm patients, and the surgical team who
must always maintain sterile technique and ensure other intraoperative processes
are followed.
Establishing a standardized approach to preventing SSIs isn't easy if your
facility hosts various specialties. Engaging patients and getting infection control
protocols started before patients present for surgery can also be a challenge,
especially if they come from the practices of numerous surgeons.
So how do you create a bundle framework that's right for your facility? Look
at your rates of infections to determine where you might have a problem, and
where your infection control efforts need to improve most urgently. Perhaps
you have a high infection rate following colectomies. Identify your priorities for
improving the care of these patients and put a data-driven plan in place. Review
relevant literature and ask other facilities about how they handle similar
patients. There are also established bundles available that you can access and
use. Map out the stakeholders for each element of the bundle and get them all
onboard with making the necessary process improvements.
Bundles provide the basic structure and framework of effective infection con-
trol protocols, but each surgical specialty and case has unique requirements, so a
standardized approach to SSI prevention actually involves using one-off bundles
in some cases. It's up to you and your infection preventionist to create an adaptive
work environment that lets staff adjust the bundles' protocols for individual
patients. Electronic medical records have the potential to help by alerting your
staff to the care individual patients require. For example, the EMR could flag
Surgical teams
appreciate transparency
and structure.
Bundles provide that.
