About 45 minutes before surgery, Joseph Nessler, MD, will stop by pre-op to mark the correct surgical site of his total joint patients. He’ll say hello, note his initials where he intends to cut and ask if the patient has any last-minute questions....

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are among the most common and costly of all healthcare complications, yet as many as half are considered preventable. While costs of treating SSIs vary widely based on the degree of infection...

My hospital’s sterile processing department is responsible for turning around 1,500 instrument trays a day. Our surgeons specialize in a variety of orthopedic procedures, including total joints and spine, so our reprocessing techs...

The sudden and significant impact of the pandemic put infection preventionists at the forefront of efforts to keep staff and patients safe. Their knowledge and guidance...

At the onset of the pandemic, people were memorably advised to sing “Happy Birthday” to themselves to ensure they washed their hands long enough to fully disinfect them. At Dayton (Ohio) Eye Surgery Center, where hand hygiene...

When Robert Bray, MD, learned that DISC Sports and Spine Center in Newport Beach, Calif., achieved accreditation for the fifth consecutive year, he was already looking forward to the next one. The neurosurgeon...

The sweet spot for an adult’s core body temperature throughout the perioperative experience is 36.5°C to 37.5°C, but maintaining this safe temperature range can be a challenge — and a safety concern, according to...

Every time Lauren Bryan, RN, notices an OR team member following her facility’s robust hand hygiene protocols, she makes it a point to verbally acknowledge the compliance she just witnessed. It’s positive recognition, sure....

No sterile processing department (SPD) manager wants to add another step to the complex and strategically redundant process of sterilizing surgical instruments....

What is the biggest difference between inpatient and outpatient infection prevention? Generally, there isn’t a playbook for the outpatient setting. If you become an infection preventionist for the inpatient world, there’s online...

Warming patients before, during and after surgeries delivers two primary benefits. The most obvious is the comfort. Warmth can do wonders to soothe a shivering, nervous...

There are between 75 and 100 intricate steps involved in the proper reprocessing of flexible endoscopes. That means there are countless opportunities for staff to miss critical steps...

Most surgical professionals are relatively knowledgeable about the best surface cleaning practices, and tried-and-true manual methods remain the best way to...

Studies have shown that up to 30% of the population may be colonized with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in their nares and up to 5% of U.S. hospitalized patients...

No matter how hard one tries, the skin simply cannot be made sterile. It can, however, be made surgically clean. Optimizing the skin’s cleanliness prior to surgery is the target that...

Zero is always the goal. Our surgery center works tirelessly on multiple fronts to ensure no patient walks away from an elective procedure with a surgical site infection (SSI). Of course, hitting that elusive benchmark is always...

For the past two-plus years, the world has constantly turned to infection preventionists and epidemiologists looking for answers on how to combat an insidious and...

You put a significant amount of time and energy into ensuring staff keep their hands clean. The same should hold true for your patients. It’s best to encourage or even require them to wash or degerm their hands...

A little recognition and positive reinforcement go a long way. At UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center in Steamboat Springs, Colo., dedicated auditors reward staff who follow the facility’s hand hygiene protocols with a small bottle...

Total hip replacement is a life-changing operation. Patients who were once riddled with pain are able to move about freely and return to their routine activities. Efforts to ensure...