Hospitals Join Fight Against SSIs

Hospitals across the country are exploring the use of preoperative antiseptic skin cleansing or skin prepping to prevent or reduce the incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, SSIs are the leading hospital-acquired infection (38%) in surgical patients and the third most common in hospitalized patients. At Prince William Hospital in Manassas, VA, clinicians saw reduced incidence of SSIs, an estimated cost savings of more than $100,000, and a 75% decrease in SSI-related readmissions after 6 months of implementing a preoperative skin cleansing protocol. Lakeview Hospital in Stillwater, MN, improved its preoperative skin preparation protocol by implementing a new product, leading to a 50% reduction in SSI rates in patients undergoing joint procedures. And VA Central Iowa Health Care System in Des Moines, Iowa, saw improvement after implementing a new preoperative skin preparation product, educating patients about appropriate skin antisepsis, and increasing compliance with preoperative skin antisepsis.