Implementation of a safety program developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is linked to a significant reduction in surgical site infections among colorectal surgery patients.
Researchers examined the effectiveness of AHRQ's Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program in hospitals across Hawaii, where the program had been implemented at a state level. The Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program uses feedback from frontline providers to improve surgical teamwork and patient safety. They published their findings in Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
The hospitals implemented numerous clinical interventions, including chlorhexidine wash before procedures and standardized post-surgical debriefing.
The study shows at the two-year follow-up, the colorectal SSI rate for the hospitals that implemented the program decreased by 61.7 percent. Additionally, safety culture improved in 10 of 12 categories, as measured by the AHRQ Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture.