[Quality assurance and infection control in outpatient surgery]

Area of Science:

• Infection Prevention and Control
• Healthcare Hygiene
• Public Health Law

Background:

• German Law on Infectious Diseases (IfSG) mandates hygiene standards and infection rate recording for outpatient centers.
• The Commission for Hospital Hygiene and the Prevention of Infection recommends surveillance modules like AMBU-KISS.
• Compliance with legal obligations necessitates robust hygiene and surveillance systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate hygiene procedures, surgical site infection surveillance, and facilities within the AMBU-KISS program.
• To assess compliance with infection control standards in German outpatient centers.
• To identify areas for improvement in healthcare hygiene practices.

Main Methods:

• A survey was conducted among centers participating in the AMBU-KISS surveillance program.
• The survey focused on hygiene protocols, surgical site infection surveillance, and available facilities.
• A response rate of 99 out of 110 participants (90%) was achieved.

Main Results:

• All surveyed centers have established cleaning and disinfection schemes.
• Written protocols for instrument processing and surgical hand disinfection are widely utilized.
• A significant finding was the excessive time spent on surgical hand disinfection and presurgical skin disinfection by many participants.

Conclusions:

• Hygienic conditions in centers participating in AMBU-KISS are generally satisfactory.
• Despite satisfactory conditions, there is a clear need for optimizing infection control measures.
• Further refinement of disinfection protocols and time management is recommended to enhance patient safety.