Adherence to Surgical Care Improvement Project measures: the whole is greater than the parts

Gradually Increasing Surgical Site Infection Prevention Bundle with Monitoring of Potentially Preventable Infections Resulting in Decreasing Overall Surgical Site Infection Rate

Objective: Reduction of surgical site infection. Methods: Retrospective evaluation of a surgical infection prevention program consisting of the gradual introduction of specific infection prevention methods and a surveillance system identifying and reporting on potentially preventable surgical site infections as defined by the omission of a preventive method. Setting: A university tertiary referral medical center. Results: The sequential introduction of infection prevention elements in the bundle resulted in a fluctuating rate of potentially preventable surgical site infections simultaneously with a slow, gradual reduction of the clean wound SSI rate. Conclusions: Change in a complex, multidisciplinary environment such as an inpatient surgical unit happens gradually and requires focused attention and input from all involved professionals.

Prevention of Hospital-Acquired Infections

BACKGROUND

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are a persistent concern and include surgical site infections, intravascular line-associated infections, pneumonia, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and C. difficile infection.

METHOD

Review of the pertinent English-language literature.

RESULTS

Hospital-acquired infections result in significant increases in morbidity, mortality rates, and cost and are a focus of efforts at reduction.

CONCLUSION

I discuss efforts specific to each of the most common infections and a philosophical approach to prevention that strives to achieve zero potentially preventable hospital-acquired infections.

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Improving SCIP Compliance

The Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) is a national program aimed at reducing perioperative complications and is a quality benchmark metric for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This study evaluates whether a multidisciplinary program improved an institution's compliance with SCIP measures. Analysis of the facility's performance data identified three key areas of SCIP noncompliance: 1) timely discontinuation of perioperative antibiotics and urinary catheters, 2) initiation of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis, and 3) perioperative beta blocker administration. Multidisciplinary teams collaborated with providers and department chairs in reviewing and enable SCIP compliance. Anesthesia staff managed preoperative antibiotics. SCIP-compliant order sets, venous thromboembolism pop-up alerts, and progress note templates were added to the electronic medical record. Standardized education was provided to explain SCIP requirements, review noncompliant cases, and update teams on SCIP performance. Data were captured from January 2009 to March 2014. Ten SCIP fallouts were reported for general surgery specialties in January 2013, when the SCIP compliance project launched. Specifically, colon-related surgery achieved 100 per cent compliance. Six months after implementation, overall SCIP compliance at our institution improved by 65 per cent (from 90.7–98.6% compliance).

Quality improvement: single-field sterile scrub, prep, and dwell for laparoscopic hysterectomy

The vulva and vaginal interior are considered a contaminated surgical area, and current OR guidelines require surgeons who are gloved and gowned at the abdominal field to avoid contact with the urethral catheter, the uterine manipulator, and the introitus or to change their gloves and even regown if contact occurs. It is our belief that the perception of the vaginal field as contaminated reflects a lack of specific standards for the preoperative cleansing of the deeper vagina and a lack of preoperative prep instructions for the combined fields. We developed a comprehensive single-field prep technique designed to improve surgical efficiency and prevent contamination of the sterile field. Combining a methodical scrub, prep, and dwell, this technique allows the entire abdomino-perineovaginal field to be treated as a single sterile field for laparoscopic procedures. Our surgical site infection rate of 1.8% when using this single-field prep technique and the subsequent surgical treatment of the abdominal, vaginal, and perineal fields as a single sterile field is well within reported norms.

Ventral rectopexy for rectal prolapse and obstructed defecation

Ventral rectopexy has gained popularity in Europe to treat full-thickness rectal external and internal prolapse. This procedure has been shown to achieve acceptable anatomic results with low recurrence rates, few complications, and improvements of both constipation and fecal incontinence. The authors review the principles, techniques, and outcomes of ventral rectopexy.

Surgical care improvement project in the value-based purchasing era: more harm than good?

The Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) started in 2006 as a core measure to reduce perioperative morbidity and mortality, with many measures addressing perioperative antibiotic usage and timing. However, measures are often rolled out without consideration of their full impact, causing confusion, frustration, and possibly patient harm. We have provided examples of each. The institution of SCIP has markedly increased the compliance to its measures but little evidence shows that it provides any substantial benefit to patients, whereas this improved compliance comes at the cost of significant time, money, and staff resources. Despite this, several SCIP measures, which are currently incorporated into quality contracts, will be tied to Medicare reimbursement in 2013 under value-based purchasing, with third-party payers likely following suit. This may lead to inappropriate lower compensation of hospitals providing good care with questionable effects on patient outcomes.

Surgical prophylaxis and other complication avoidance care bundles

Individual health care quality measures that have been shown to improve outcome can be combined together into what are called care bundles, with the expectation that this set of practices produces further improvements in outcome. Prevention of surgical site infection is the focus of several quality measures put forward by the Surgical Care Improvement Project; these can collectively be considered a bundle as well. Whether these process measures, which include several components related to the administration of antibiotic prophylaxis, are effective in decreasing rates of surgical site infection has come under considerable debate recently.

Single-field sterile-scrub, preparation, and dwell for laparoscopic hysterectomy

Type VII laparoscopic hysterectomy is classified as a "clean-contaminated" procedure because the surgery involves contact with both the abdominal and vaginal fields. Because the vulva has traditionally been perceived as a separate but contaminated field, operating room guidelines have evolved to require that surgeons gloved and gowned at the abdominal field either avoid contact with the urethral catheter, the uterine manipulator, and the introitus or change their gloves and even re-gown after any contact with those fields. In the belief that the perception of the vaginal field as contaminated stems from inadequate preoperative preparation instructions, we have developed a rigorous abdomino-perineo-vaginal field preparation technique to improve surgical efficiency and prevent surgical site infections. This thorough scrub, preparation, and dwell technique enables the entire abdomino-perineo-vaginal field to be safely treated as a single sterile field while maintaining a low rate of surgical site infection, and should be further investigated in randomized studies.