Establishing a Culture of Safety for the Surgical Patient: Preventing Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) 2015

Key Topics

• Screening for risk factors and the most common microorganisms that cause SSI – MRSA and Staph aureus colonization
• Safety in the OR: Infection prevention measures in surgical suites, surgical attire, traffic control, instrument sterilization, disinfection of the environment, surgical technique, safe medication handling procedures, and monitoring of the air handling system
• Surgical skin prep with alcohol based antiseptics
• Shower with antiseptic soap prior to the surgery
• Innovative sutures with antimicrobial action to prevent stick abscesses and local infection
• Surgical irrigation with chlorhexidine to prevent exogenous contamination in tissues
• Using quality improvement tools and teamwork to implement the Joint Commission NPSG 07.05.01
• Innovative postoperative skin closure to prevent postoperative contamination in incisions

Who should Attend

• Surgeons and anesthesiologists
• Healthcare administrators
• Postoperative inpatient and clinic nurses
• OR and perioperative nurses
• Healthcare epidemiologists
• Infection control professionals
• Personnel directly responsible for the prevention of SSIs