After surgical site infections had increased at UT Southwestern Medical Center, the staff implemented the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery program with positive results.
Using the following seven strategies also helped the medical center save around $540,000 in total costs in 2021 and 2022, and reduce its hospital bed days by 578 days in total:
- Ensuring a patient is given oral antibiotics along with mechanical bowel preparation.
- Determining which antibiotics best suited for the patient, when to give it and when to redose for colorectal surgery.
- Implementing the use of chlorhexidine baths to kill germs, before a surgery as well as the use of cleansing wipes on the abdomen before entering the operating room to decrease the presence of skin bacteria.
- Storing antibiotics directly in each operating room machine that also holds and distributes the anesthetic drugs.
- Ensuring all members of the surgical team change gowns and gloves when the surgery is completed and the site is about to be closed up.
- Keeping patients warm actively both prior to surgery and during it.
- Planning to establish patient mobility as soon as possible after surgery.
