Surgical Site Infection Prevention-2HR

Course overview

Target audience: Operative and acute care nurses who work in hospitals with patients undergoing surgical procedures should know the content of this course. This course meets the requirements for a one-time educational course related to surgical site infection (SSI). Course overview: This course describes the importance of reducing surgical site infections (SSIs) in the United States in order to lead to better patient health outcomes by reducing morbidity and mortality, as well as decreasing national health care costs. Knowledge of SSI risk, identification, and prevention strategies is important to good care. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Upon completion of the course, the learner should be able to: • Define surgical site infection (SSI) and classify wounds. • Recognize the significance and incidence of SSI in the United States. • Identify risk factors for SSI. • Describe antimicrobial prophylaxis for SSI. • Describe the microbiology of SSI. • Discuss general infection control strategies to reduce the risk of SSI. • Describe preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative strategies to reduce the risk of SSI. • Identify ways of increasing patient engagement in reducing SSIs. • Describe strategies to implement SSI prevention interventions in the health care setting.