Success of a Colorectal Surgical Site Infection Prevention Bundle in a Multihospital System

Surgical site infections, readmissions, and extended hospital stays are risks for patients undergoing colon surgeries. These procedures are often urgent, and patients may have multiple comorbidities. Preoperative and postoperative steps to reduce the number of complications provide substantial benefits clinically, economically, and psychologically. We used a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to identify best practices when developing and implementing a standardized approach to the management of patients undergoing elective colon surgery. Interventions included nutrition supplements and preoperative and postoperative protocols. Our management project showed a 74.6% reduction in readmissions, a 22.73% reduction in length of stay, an 85% reduction in colon surgical site infections measured by incidence (84.5% reduction) and standard infection ratio (54.55% reduction), and 95% compliance with the use of both order sets during an 18-month period. Applying standardized order sets for assessing and addressing patient comorbidities before colorectal surgery can result in a substantial and sustainable reduction in complications.