Essay on Surgical Site Infections

SSI are measured by definitions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the Surgical Site Infection Surveillance Service, other valid measures based on clinical signs and

A localised infection is an infection that is limited to a specific body part or region. Localised infection for example is tonsillitis, ear infection, and sinusitis

In recent years, surgical site infections are verified as one of the most errors that are common in the healthcare; however, they are also preventable. These research papers will synthesis information about surgical infections, patient experience, hospital-acquired conditions and achievement of expected treatment for specific clinical diagnoses. A surgical site infection is an infected condition in the body after surgery has occurred. Surgical site infections are caused by germs, called bacteria. Different types of bacteria from the environment may cause a delay in healing. The infection may come from surgical tools or bacteria on the skin if it is not clean correctly. Healthcare professionals use certain guidelines and

However, everybody who has contact with the patient or the environment is entitled to relevant information that will enable them to reduce the risks of transmission to

According to Health Grades, 2009, total Direct cost of unsafe infection practice to Unit-ed State is $535 million while cost to patient safety events is 6.8 billion to federal Medicare pro-gram and also leads to 92,882 preventable deaths in USA. Top 250 hospitals of US have achieved patient safety excellence award, which has a potential to save 2 billion of federal money and 22,771 deaths from Medicare patients (Health Grades, 2009). Institute of medicine (IOM) has estimated that adverse drug reactions cost 1.5 million to the govt.which can be reduced with proper interventions (Classen, Jaser & Budnitz, 2010). Total cost due to medical errors is 29 bil-lion annually, which includes costs due to medical bills and due to loss of income and other dis-abilities. Seeing the severity of patient safety events, it is necessary for the hospitals to take proper steps towards patient safety. Each step towards patient safety saves hundreds of lives and thousands of dollars. Preventable medical errors affect the trust of patient on health care person-nel (Health Grade, 2009).

Conduct a literature search to locate research articles focused on a practice problem of interest. This literature search should include both quantitative and qualitative peer research articles to support your practice problem or issue of interest in 350-750 words.

The Joint Commission Accreditation Body assesses health care organization’s compliance with National Patient Safety Goals. The goal of the Joint Commission Body is to focus on critical aspects and patient safety issues in health care organizations, which can vary according to the setting of the health care being performed (Chassin, 2008). Infections occurring in surgical sites of patients account for 15% of all infections that transpire in a hospital setting, and the risk of death doubles in patients who develop infections. The dangers of surgical site infections include superficial, deep, and organ or space infections. The different infections include cellulitis, gangrene, MRSA, and wound sinus, which can lead to amputation, organ

Also enforced by OCR, the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (PSQIA) established a voluntary reporting system where data is analyzed and used to enhance the safety and quality of healthcare delivery. PSQIA provides confidentiality protections to healthcare providers who were previously concerned about the use of patient safety event reports in criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings. By limiting the use of event reports the fear report medical errors has decreased among many healthcare providers (Medical Errors and Patient Safety, 2008).

This paragraph explains ways to prevent infections contracted from hospitals. The number one way to lower the spread of infections contracted through a hospital is correct sanitation customs. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a federal government agency has come up with guidelines in order to safeguard against the expansion of infections and diseases for patients and the workers (Hedman, 2010). It is mandatory for administrators of hospitals to write a disclosure policy to protect the workers from infections like Hepatitis B and other infections and bad bacteria. Minimizing infections that the workers have can aid in stopping the spread of

In the traditional role it is the individual who prepares and passes instruments, medical supplies, medications, and any equipment the surgeon may need during surgery. Technologist has expertise in the application of sterile and aseptic technique with the combined knowledge of human anatomy, surgical procedures, and implementation tools and technologies that facilitate a physician’s performance of invasive therapeutic and diagnostic procedures. The scrub must protect the sterile field from contamination. It is extremely important for he or she to remain sterile and make sure the surgeon stays sterile for the patient’s safety. The technologist has the necessary knowledge and ability to ensure high quality patient care (AST). It is also vital that the technologist communicate with the surgeon to prevent errors such as passing the wrong instrument or medication. To prevent errors the technologist must be sure to correctly label all medication used during a procedure and ensures that all the surgical instruments function properly. Such errors can consume valuable time while causing disruptions that will distract the surgeon possibly leading to an unsafe surgery. He or she must

Hands were wet by a running tap and antiseptic detergents or liquid soap (5ml was poured onto the hands, the technique consisted of five backwards and forwards strokes in the motion of; palm to palm, each palm over the other hand’s back, interlocking palm to palm, each palm over the other hand’s back interlocked and then the rotational scrubbing of the fingers into each palm finalised by the rubbing of the wrists during a 30-second time span. Then the hands were rinsed with water for 15-seconds and dried with two paper towels for 15-seconds. (Ayliffe et all, 1978) Whilst this technique has strict timescales the WHO elects the timescale of roughly the time taken to sing “Happy Birthday” twice. This raises concerns over the approximates as this will differ from person to person. The procedure itself remains nearly exact except from the addition of turning the tap off with a towel to avoid recontamination and the exact timings are lost. This technique only stated to use running water, however no temperature was specified. Hand Washing for Life (200-) advises that water should not be above 110F as this temperature would cause hands become damaged by loosing delicate tissues on the skin. This can cause bacteria to become trapped and more difficult to remove, as well as cause pain to the worker. It is a legal requirement for health professions to take the necessary measures to

Research shows that Surgical site infections are preventable. According to the CDC, hand hygiene is the simplest approach to preventing the spread of infections and needs to be incorporated into the culture of the organization. Ensuring the use of infection control prevention is an important component of nursing care. Infection control prevention policies must be communicated undoubtedly to all employees. Staffers who do not comply must be re-educated to ensure that all are complying. Speaking up and pointing out that a nurse forgot to wash his or her hands, or notifying the surgical team that surgical instruments were not adequately cleaned may seem like small issues; but at the same time, not acknowledging a break in a sterile technique could mean the difference between life and death for a patient. One hospital that was struggling with high levels of infection related to surgical procedures, implemented a pre-procedure huddle as a team. This innovate way decreased the spread of infection and was a great way to improve the quality of care for patients. As mandated by the Joint commission, infection prevention personnel should provide multidisciplinary education on SSI prevention, to all team members, including

Surgery that involves an incision in the skin can lead to a wound infection afterwards. Most surgical wound infections are seen within 30 days after surgery. There may be pus draining from the wound site, can be red, painful or hot to the touch. It may present with a fever and

According to Walker and Avant (1995), concept analysis allows nursing to examine the attributes or

Those who incorporate the best practice standards can reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with surgical site infections.