Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis tested a two-pronged communication system with 430 orthopedic surgery patients. EpxDecolonization reminds patients to fill their antibiotic ointment and body wash prescription and use them as directed. EpxWound sends text or voice messages to patients asking them to report signs of infection.
Nearly all (96 percent) patients responded to the EpxDecolonization system, and 90 percent responded to the EpxWound system. Also, most patients reported the systems improved their communication with their surgeons.
Next, the system developers will test the effect of the automated communication systems on actual SSI rates.
A poster on the project was presented at the 2016 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Conference.
More articles on surgical site infections:
No more excuses — 6 steps to take to eliminate medical errors
Pre-operative clipping: Identifying the best tools and practices for infection prevention
Disinfecting robots are the way to go for reducing SSI rates, study suggests
