Surgical Site Infection in Post-Op Patients Research Paper

Surgical Site Infection in Post-Op Patients - Research Paper Example Its impact on mortality, morbidity, and cost of health care has resulted in its identification as a top nationwide priority in the healthcare sector. The majority of surgical site infections are unnecessary and preventable to a large extent. They account for forty percent of all the infections acquired in hospitals. On top of that, they contribute to a longer recovery, further threat of other complications, additional pain, and even death in extreme cases. Research conducted has also revealed that surgical patients who develop complications from the surgical site infections are twice likely to die compared to those not infected (Dellinger, Hausmann & Bratzler, 2005). Furthermore, they have sixty percent more chance to be admitted in ICU, the hospital stay becomes longer, and lastly the readmission rate increase as six times more compared to those patients without infections (Griffin, 2005). These factors have demonstrated the need for interventions to prevent surgical site infections from affecting surgical patients. Several interventions are put in place by various groups to reduce surgical site infection rates and mortality of patients. These groups comprise the National Quality Forum, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. They have collectively recommended the use of prophylactic antibiotics to prevent surgical site infections. The SSI avoidance through prophylactic antibiotic use consists of three core elements. These elements are appropriate selection, first dose timing, and discontinuation of the dose postoperatively. Selecting an appropriate antibiotic to prevent an infection is extremely beneficial. The antibiotic selected should be one that can effectively work against the microorganism likely to cause surgical site infection (Kurtz, 2011). The antibiotic selection varies depending on the kind of surgery. Physician and clinical experts from various health bodies, boards, an d groups have developed guiding principles for appropriate antibiotic selection (Surgical Infection Prevention Guidelines Writers Work group 2004). From the proposed strategies, hospitals are anticipated to create inter-department protocols based on local consensus and formulary of the practitioners. The protocols are the guidelines that direct the medical staff on what to do in cases of emergencies. In this scenario, they assist in ensuring that the most appropriate antibiotic is chosen since they can be prepared beforehand and performed by the nursing and pharmacy personnel. In this situation, the need to note down a unique antibiotic order for every surgical patient is reduced. Furthermore, the unique regimen may contain an error or some portion of it may be inadvertently omitted (Griffin, 2005). The protocols are therefore developed with the assistance of local experts, the physicians, and surgeons handling the infectious disease at the hospital. The protocols contain clear guid elines to direct the staff on recommended substitutes in case allergic reactions occur, or the criterion as to when a doctor should be notified for a different antibiotic order. The antibiotic protocols should be reviewed, renewed, and updated annually basing the changes on the accessibility of medicines and amendment in guidelines nationwide. The timing of the antibiotic administration is another fundamental aspect in preventing surgical site inf