Preventing Surgical Site Infections: Implementing Strategies Throughout the Perioperative Continuum

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a considerable cause of patient morbidity and mortality and are associated with increased hospital lengths of stay as well as increased health care costs to both patients and health care facilities. Substantial advances have been made in infection control practices throughout the perioperative setting to prevent SSIs and improve patient quality of care. Preventing and reducing SSIs requires a multifaceted approach encompassing the continuum of medical and surgical care. This article reviews four major infection prevention guidelines and provides an updated summary of effective strategies that perioperative team members can implement for the prevention of SSIs preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively.