Date of Graduation
4-2023
Document Type
Project
Keywords
abdominal, spinal, surgical site infection, preoperative skin preparation, infection prevention
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Degree Level
Graduate
Advisor/Mentor
Callie Bradley
Committee Member
Michael Kilmer
Abstract
Surgical site infections are an avoidable complication in surgical patients and one of the most common hospital-acquired infections. Adverse effects of surgical site infections include increased hospital length of stay, increased costs to patient and healthcare system, disability, morbidity, and mortality. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to design a protocol with the objective of decreasing surgical site infections in abdominal and spinal surgery patients. The protocol developed used targeted depilation and antisepsis with a chlorhexidine wipe to mitigate infection risk. Results of the project showed a static hospital length of stay, no increase in preoperative time, and a 0.98% decrease in surgical site infections, though it did not achieve statistical significance related to the small sample size. Further exploration is warranted, though the results are promising for more widespread implementation.
Citation
Moyer, L. (2023). Preoperative Skin Preparation Protocol for Patients Undergoing Abdominal and Spinal Surgery. The Eleanor Mann School of Nursing Student Works. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/nursstudent/30
Included in
Critical Care Nursing Commons, Perioperative, Operating Room and Surgical Nursing Commons