Guidelines in Practice: Preoperative Patient Skin Antisepsis

Area of Science:

• Infection Control
• Surgical Patient Care
• Antimicrobial Stewardship

Background:

• Surgical site infections (SSIs) often originate from resident skin bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus.
• Reducing microbial load on the skin preoperatively is key to preventing SSIs.
• Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) pose a growing threat, necessitating enhanced prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss recommendations for preoperative patient skin antisepsis.
• To outline components of a multimodal approach for SSI prevention.
• To guide perioperative nurses in implementing SSI prevention bundles.

Main Methods:

• Review of the AORN "Guideline for preoperative patient skin antisepsis".
• Discussion of decolonization protocols, preoperative bathing, and antiseptic selection.
• Presentation of a facility scenario for developing an SSI prevention bundle.

Main Results:

• Preoperative decolonization, bathing, and skin antiseptic application are vital.
• A multimodal strategy effectively reduces microorganisms to subpathogenic levels.
• Interdisciplinary teams are essential for implementing SSI prevention bundles.

Conclusions:

• Effective preoperative skin antisepsis is a cornerstone of SSI prevention.
• Perioperative nurses play a critical role in patient safety through bundle implementation.
• Facility-specific strategies are needed to address increasing MDRO-related SSIs.