6 S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P A 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 7
T
he quest to do away with surgical site infections began in July 2014 when
our hospital's COO put us on notice that the 9% infection rate in our heart
and total joint patients was unacceptably high. Challenge accepted. We
built a team comprised of representatives from all specialties, gathered in a confer-
ence room and got to work. By October, we reduced the infection rate to 2.7%; we
reached zero a month later. Our success built momentum, and we soon applied the
enhanced infection prevention protocols to all procedures. Here's how we turned a
problem into a point of pride.
Inside Our Journey to Zero SSIs
It took evidence-based practices and hard work to eliminate infections.
On Point
Diane Kimsey, MSN, MHA, RN, CNOR, CLO
• SHORT CLIP Removing
hair in the pre-op area was
one of the key elements to
the initiative's success.
Diane
Kimsey,
MSN,
MHA,
RN,
CNOR,
CLO
