Best Practices and a Business Case for Surgical Site Infection Prevention

Abstract

Surgical site infections (SSIs) can be costly and result in prolonged hospital stays; readmissions; and additional diagnostic tests, therapeutic antibiotic treatments, and surgical procedures. Evidence‐based practices for preventing SSIs include environmental cleaning; instrument cleaning, decontamination, and sterilization; preoperative bathing; preoperative Staphylococcus aureus decolonization; intraoperative antimicrobial prophylaxis; hand hygiene; and surgical hand antisepsis. Strong partnerships among infection prevention personnel, perioperative nurses, surgeons, and anesthesia professionals may enhance perioperative infection prevention. Facility and physician‐specific SSI rates should be reported to physicians and frontline personnel in a timely, accessible manner. Together with costs associated with SSIs, these data help determine the success of an infection prevention program. Leaders can develop a comprehensive business case proposal for perioperative infection prevention programs. The proposal should describe the need for the program and anticipated return on investment; it also should focus on the goal of decreasing SSIs by establishing metrics for assessing outcomes and addressing barriers.