The OR is No Place for Compromise: A Comprehensive Approach to Address HAIs, HOB, and Surgical Complications

Every choice in the perioperative suite matters—where reducing complications and the risk of infections are critical to patient outcomes. Surgical site infections place your patients and hospital at risk: accounting for 1 of 5 HAIs, globally, increasing a patient’s post operative hospital stay by 7-11 days, and increasing costs to hospitals by $11,874 to $34,670 on average. Patients with an SSI have a 6-fold higher risk of developing hospital-onset bacteremia and fungemia (HOB). By applying evidence-based strategies, guidelines and care bundles, the risk of these outcomes may be reduced. Guidelines and bundles include a variety of interventions in the OR including glycemic control, parenteral antimicrobial prophylaxis, appropriate pre-operative hair removal, skin antisepsis, and surgical irrigation, but implementing these interventions may be inconsistent and difficult. This presentation will review the clinical and operational challenges faced by healthcare facilities in the operating room (OR) and explore strategies to create a comprehensive solution to address establish a new standard of care.