Improving surgical site infection prevention practices through a multifaceted educational intervention

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Infectious disease prevention
• Surgical patient care

Background:

• Healthcare-associated infections, specifically surgical site infections (SSIs), pose a significant challenge in tertiary hospitals.
• A quality improvement tool was developed by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) for SSI prevention.
• Effective strategies are needed to implement and sustain SSI prevention practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the effectiveness of an educational campaign utilizing a quality improvement tool to prevent SSIs in a tertiary hospital.
• To assess changes in prophylactic antibiotic administration and postoperative prescribing following the intervention.

Main Methods:

• A prospective audit of surgical patients was conducted pre- and post-intervention.
• An educational campaign involving posters and presentations was implemented, focusing on SSI prevention and antibiotic guidelines.
• Data on antibiotic administration timing and appropriateness were collected and analyzed.

Main Results:

• Post-intervention, the rate of prophylactic antibiotic administration within 60 minutes prior to incision increased from 54% to 68% (p = 0.266).
• Appropriate postoperative antibiotic prescribing improved significantly from 71% to 92% (p = 0.075).
• The study included 50 patients pre-intervention and 45 patients post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• A multifaceted educational program, incorporating a quality improvement tool, shows potential effectiveness in improving SSI prevention practices.
• The observed improvements in antibiotic administration timing and appropriateness suggest the program's positive impact.
• Further implementation and evaluation are warranted to confirm sustained changes in SSI prevention.