Prevention of Surgical Site Infection (SSI)
Basic practices for prevention and monitoring of SSI*
ÎÎPerform surveillance for SSI (A-II).
ÎÎProvide ongoing feedback on SSI surveillance and process measures to
surgical and perioperative personnel and leadership (A-II).
ÎÎIncrease the efficiency of surveillance through the use of automated
data (A-II).
ÎÎAdminister antimicrobial prophylaxis in accordance with evidencebased standards and guidelines (A-I).
ÎÎDo not remove hair at the operative site unless the presence of hair will
interfere with the operation; do not use razors (A-II).
ÎÎControl blood glucose level during the immediate postoperative period
for patients undergoing cardiac surgery (A-I).
ÎÎMeasure and provide feedback to providers on the rates of compliance
with process measures, including antimicrobial prophylaxis, proper
hair removal, and glucose control (for cardiac surgery) (A-III).
ÎÎImplement policies and practices aimed at reducing the risk of SSI that
meet regulatory and accreditation requirements and that are aligned
with evidence-based standards (eg, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention and professional organization guidelines) (A-II).
ÎÎEducate surgeons and perioperative personnel about SSI prevention
(A-III).
ÎÎEducate patients and their families about SSI prevention, as
appropriate (A-III).
Special approaches for the prevention of SSI**
ÎÎPerform an SSI risk assessment.
ÎÎPerform expanded SSI surveillance to determine the source and extent
of the problem and to identify possible targets for intervention (B-II).
Approaches that should NOT be considered a routine part of
SSI prevention
ÎÎDo not routinely use vancomycin for antimicrobial prophylaxis (B-II).
ÎÎDo not routinely delay surgery to provide parenteral nutrition (A-I).
