Lessen Infection at Surgical Site by Washing Hand with Antiseptic Prior and After Surgery

Introduction

Surgical site infection is a major problem experienced in surgical patients. Surgical site infections are caused by germs usually after an invasive surgical procedure on a patient. The surgical site infection makes up a significant percentage of healthcare-associated infections with 5% of the patients who undergo a surgical operation developing a surgical site infection (Gaynes et al., 2001). The surgical site infections can be mild to life-threatening postoperative complications which can be avoided through proper pre and post-operative measures such as washing hands with an antiseptic (Poggio, 2013). The surgical site infections have a significant impact on the patient's quality of life and should be addressed immediately using evidence-based interventions when they occur. This paper will assess how clinicians can reduce the infection on the surgical site by using an antiseptic before and after surgery.

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Ace Star Change Model

The Ace Star model is a knowledge model that will be used to create awareness of how antiseptics can be used by clinicians to reduce surgical site infection. The model begins with the discovery of the new approach to preventing surgical site infection through the use of antiseptic to wash hands before and after the surgical procedure. The second stage which will be used to develop the knowledge is the evidence synthesis which involves research to identify concepts of the same developed by scholars to ensure that the solution is evidence-based. This stage is the creation of evidence summaries will increase the reliability of the solution. The third stage will involve the translation of the evidence into actual practice to integrate the new knowledge into practice. After the translation of the evidence the integration stage will follow which involves the use of new knowledge in healthcare. This stage will address the individual and organization challenges towards the adoption of the new knowledge. The final stage is the evaluation stage which will assess the outcomes of the knowledge integration in mainstream healthcare (Parkosewich, 2013).

Practice Issue

The failure of nurses and surgeons to use antiseptics to clean their hands is a major healthcare practice issue because it causes surgical site infections due to the transfer of germs from the nurses and the surgeons' hands and equipment to the surgical site. There is a need to educate healthcare providers on the importance of using antiseptics to clean hands before and after an operation to minimize the chances of the surgical site infection (Webster & Osborne, 2015).

The scope of the Problem

Surgical site infection is a major problem that is mainly caused by the failure of operative staff to take preventive measures to neutralize bacteria, fungal and viral contamination. The surgical site infection can be superficial or a deep infection that involves underlying tissues at or near the incision site. In the United States of America alone there are 27 million surgical procedures every year performed on patients, and 5% of the performed procedures results in surgical site infection (Gaynes et al., 2001).

Stakeholders

Operative Staff

The operative staff is directly involved in carrying out the procedures, and this education will directly benefit them. The operating staff should be required to adhere to a new approach of using an antiseptic to wash the hands before and after a surgical operation to minimize the chances of a surgical site infection.

Nurses

Nurses provide primary care to the surgical procedure patients and should also benefit from the new knowledge of using an antiseptic to clean hands before and after attending to the surgical wounds.

Hospital Management

The hospital management has a significant role in ensuring the new knowledge is practiced in the organization is practiced by the operative staff and the nurses to minimize surgical site infections.

Evidence of the need for Change

The prevalence of surgical site infection remains high and presents a significant burden of disease which increases mortality and morbidity rate (Reichman & Greenberg, 2009). Surgical site infection increases the chances of patients being admitted to the intensive care unit. This increases hospital stay considerably which increases the cost of care (Berrios-Torres et al., 2017). There is the need for a standardized and evidence-based practice to reduce surgical site infections which will save lives and reduce the cost of care due to readmissions.

Action Plan

Educating the operative staff on washing hands with an antiseptic before and after a surgical operation can significantly reduce the number of surgical site infections. The plan involves lobbying the management to allow the operative staff education on the importance of antiseptics in reducing related surgical infections. This will be followed by creating a budget and education framework using the Ace Star model.

Timeline of the Plan

The project of integrating the use of antiseptic by operating staff and nurses when handling surgical operations and patients will take approximately six months for education and integration of new knowledge using the Ace Star Model.

Nurses Role and Responsibility

Nurses play a significant role in the integration process due to their direct contact with the patients. The nurses provide primary care during and after the surgical operations and educating them on the use of antiseptics will significantly reduce surgical site infections that are caused by the lack of preventive measures by the operative staff (Reichman & Greenberg, 2009).

Summary

The use of antiseptics to wash hands before and after surgical operations can significantly reduce surgical site infections which increases the cost of healthcare, mortality rate, and hospital stay. The new knowledge should be adopted by the operative staff who directly handle the patient before and after the surgical operation. It is important to assess the new knowledge integration to ensure that new recommendations are included to improve the knowledge and ensure that it is evidence-based.

References

Berrios-Torres, S. I., Umscheid, C. A., Bratzler, D. W., Leas, B., Stone, E. C., Kelz, R. R., ... & Dellinger, E. P. (2017). Centers for disease control and prevention guideline for the prevention of surgical site infection, 2017. JAMA surgery, 152(8), 784-791.

Gaynes, R. P., Culver, D. H., Horan, T. C., Edwards, J. R., Richards, C., Tolson, J. S., & National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System. (2001). Surgical site infection (SSI) rates in the United States, 1992-1998: the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System basic SSI risk index. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 33(Supplement_2), S69-S77.

Parkosewich, J. A. (2013). An infrastructure to advance the scholarly work of staff nurses. The Yale journal of biology and medicine, 86(1), 63.

Poggio, J. L. (2013). Perioperative strategies to prevent surgical-site infection. Clinics in colon and rectal surgery, 26(3), 168.

Reichman, D. E., & Greenberg, J. A. (2009). Reducing surgical site infections: a review. Reviews in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 2(4), 212.

Webster, J., & Osborne, S. (2015). Preoperative bathing or showering with skin antiseptics to prevent surgical site infection. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2015, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD004985. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004985.pub5.