Quality improvement To prevent cardiac surgical site infection
Quality improvement; patient safety; surgical site infection
Introduction: Surgical site infection (SSI) is the most common complication resulting from surgery, which occurs in the first 30 days after surgery. It is among the main healthcare-associated infections (HAI) corresponding to 14 to 15% in Brazil. The high incidence can reach 33 to 77% and in cardiac surgery to 25%. The emergence of SSI represents a challenge as it has a high rate of morbidity and mortality, it is considered a preventable adverse event that threatens patient safety, in addition to significantly adding to medical-hospital costs, with negative repercussions on care practice. Efforts to reduce the rate of SSI in cardiac surgery include treating risk factors before the surgical procedure and adopting preventive practices. Objective: To implement and evaluate an improvement cycle to preventing of cardiac surgical site infection in a private hospital located in Natal city/RN. Methodology: This is an intervention study, with the implementation of an improvement cycle based on the assessment of the level of compliance with the protocol to prevent surgical site infection in cardiac surgery before and after its implementation. The target audience is adult patients admitted to the inpatient and intensive care units to undergo cardiac surgery. Reoperations and cardiac surgical procedures in pediatrics were excluded. Expected results: It is expected that the actions planned and developed in this improvement cycle can systematize patient care that will undergo the surgical procedure, thus establishing patient safety barriers. Improved compliance with surgical safety levels can mitigate the risks of SSI and other events related to hospital readmissions, operations, and deaths. Additionally, the application of the improvement cycle will support a practice committed to the quality of care.