Standardized aseptic dressing change procedure: Optimizations and adherence in a prospective pre- and...

Area of Science:

• Infection Prevention and Control
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Surgical Site Infection Prevention

Background:

• The "HygArzt" project assessed hygiene measures implemented by infection prevention link physicians (PLPs).
• Evaluating the impact of standardized protocols on healthcare-associated infections is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if a standardized aseptic dressing change concept (ADCC) introduced by a PLP improves hand hygiene adherence.
• To assess adherence to specific process steps during aseptic dressing changes (ADCs) in trauma and orthopedic surgery.

Main Methods:

• A standardized ADCC was developed based on process analysis of 331 ADCs.
• The ADCC was iteratively implemented and adopted during an intervention phase.
• Effectiveness was evaluated by analyzing 374 ADCs in the post-intervention phase.

Main Results:

• Hand hygiene adherence increased significantly across all four defined indications (e.g., before ADC preparation from 34% to 85%).
• Overall hand hygiene adherence improved substantially (from 9.6% to 74%).
• Adherence to other process parameters like clean work surfaces and waste disposal also improved.

Conclusions:

• A PLP can effectively implement a standardized ADCC through an iterative improvement process.
• The standardized ADCC led to significant improvements in hand hygiene and adherence to critical process steps.