Abstract
Preoperative skin antisepsis is a critical component in the prevention of surgical site infections. Evidence has shown Chlorhexidine to be more effective than Povidone Iodine as well as any other agent, therefor it should be a standard of care for surgical patients. Patients expect to receive exceptional care and have good quality outcomes. Surgery is a means to resolve patient problems, not to develop new ones. Not having a standardized process in place means that patients are subject to receiving substandard care based on which surgeon they have and the surgeon’s preferences. Surgical nurses may be a part of two surgeries with two different surgeons in the same day and use different agents on each patient. How is the nurse to know which patient received the best care? With no policy in place, surgical nurses have no support in their own duty of evidence-based practice while trying to advocate for a surgeon to choose the superior agent. It is the responsibility of all healthcare professionals to deliver the best treatment possible and standardization that results in implementation of policies will eliminate potential debate.
Date of publication
Winter 12-5-2021
Document Type
MSN Capstone Project
Language
english
Persistent identifier
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/3834
Degree
Masters of Nursing Education
Recommended Citation
Eckeberger, Marissa, "Standardizing the Superior Preoperative Skin Antiseptic" (2021). MSN Capstone Projects. Paper 170.
http://hdl.handle.net/10950/3834