Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

QI Efforts to Reduce SSIs

When the Infection Prevention and Control Department of Medical Center of McKinney in McKinney, Texas, conducted an intensive chart review, it found its SSI (surgical site infection) rate associated with Cesarean sections was above national benchmarks. The department recommended standardizing the preoperative preparation for patients undergoing C-sections. The protocol was further refined and added to the patient order sheet to ensure compliance. ?In writing it is more concrete. It will be completed correctly,? says Carla Rider, RN, director of women?s and children?s services at Medical Center of McKinney. As part of the quality improvement process, staff from the hospital?s infection department met with all obstetrics section groups and developed posters with reminders for all OB units. The result of their efforts: a 73 percent reduction in the SSI rate for C-sections.