Tennessee is one of five states participating in the first stage of a three-year project. Healthcare participants in Project JOINTS commit to implementing five evidence-based practices designed to prevent SSIs in patients undergoing hip and knee replacement surgery:
• Patient bathing or showering with a special antibacterial soap for at least three days before surgery
• Screening patients for the presence of staph prior to surgery and treating those testing positive
• Preparing skin at the surgical site with an antiseptic solution that contains alcohol
• Reliably giving the appropriate antibiotics to the patient before starting surgery
• Avoiding shaving hair at the surgical site
Read the THA news release about Project JOINTS.
Related Articles on Surgical Site Infections:
Cedars-Sinai Trial Shows Cotton Swab Makes a Difference in Infection Prevention
South Carolina Hospitals Commit to Implement Surgical Safety Checklist by 2014
Study: Noisy ORs May Increase Risk of Surgical Site Infections
