Surgery Wards Health Caregivers' Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Regarding the Pre-Operative Shower: A French...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Patient safety in surgery
• Infection control practices

Background:

• Surgery ward caregivers play a vital role in patient education and skin preparation before surgery to prevent surgical site infections.
• The pre-operative shower (POS) is a key component of pre-surgical skin hygiene.
• Caregiver responsibilities include patient education, assistance, and skin cleanliness evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported practices of surgery ward caregivers regarding the pre-operative shower (POS).
• To identify deficiencies in training, protocols, and perceived challenges associated with POS implementation.

Main Methods:

• A multi-center prospective survey was conducted with nurses and nurses' assistants in five French surgical facilities.
• Data collected included caregiver training, ward protocols, guideline knowledge, attitudes, practices, and challenges related to POS.
• A total of 72 caregivers participated in the survey.

Main Results:

• Only 39% of caregivers reported receiving initial POS training, and 49% had a ward protocol.
• Knowledge of current POS guidelines was suboptimal, with some caregivers adhering to unnecessary precautions.
• Assessing skin cleanliness was perceived as intrusive and poorly organized, with patient gender influencing caregiver perception.

Conclusions:

• Significant gaps exist in the training and implementation of pre-operative shower protocols among surgery ward caregivers.
• Caregiver perceptions highlight challenges in standardizing and performing skin cleanliness assessments effectively.
• Addressing these deficiencies is essential for optimizing pre-operative patient preparation and reducing surgical site infection risks.