Promoting best practice in infection prevention in general surgery through education.
Introduction
Surgical patients are particularly at risk of healthcare associated infection (H C A I) by virtue of the presence of a surgical site leading to surgical site infections (S S I) and because of the need for intravascular access resulting in catheter-related bloodstream infection (C R B S I).
Methods
A two-year initiative commenced with an initial audit of surgical practice which was used to inform the development of a targeted educational initiative by surgeons specific for surgical trainees. Parameters assessed during initial and repeat audits after the educational initiative included intra- and post-operative aspects of the prevention o f S S I as well as the care of peripheral venous cannulae (P V C ) in surgical patients.
Results
The proportion of prophylactic antibiotics administered pre-incision across 360 operations increased from 30% to 59.1% (p
Conclusion
Significant improvements were seen in surgical practice in S S I and C R B S I prevention through a focused educational programme developed by and for surgeons.
History
First Supervisor
Professor Hilary HumphreysSecond Supervisor
Professor Arnold DK HillComments
A Theses presented to The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland for the degree of Doctor of MedicinePublished Citation
McHugh SM. Promoting best practice in infection prevention in general surgery through education. [MD Thesis]. Dublin: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland; 2011.Degree Name
- Doctor of Medicine (MD)