Medline takes a stand for patient and clinician safety at AORN 2022

According to the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC), healthcare-associated infection (HAI) prevalence survey, while surgical site infections (SSIs) have decreased 5% between 2015 and 2020, SSIs still account for 20% of HAIs, increasing the cost of hospitalization by more than $20,000 per admission and the length of stay in the hospital by 9.7 days.

To help raise awareness on the importance of SSI and HAI prevention, Medline will offer relevant resources and continuing education opportunities at the AORN Global Surgical Conference & Expo, at booth #8240, from March 19 -23, 2022. Medline’s booth will highlight three patient safety topics:

1. Achieving effective pre-operative preparation through the application of skin antiseptic before hospital admission as well as pre-surgical nasal decolonization, which can reduce 99% of Staphylococcus aureus in the nose for up to several hours.
2. Reducing infection risks through evidence-based clean closure practices and point of use cleaning within the sterile field.
3. Utilizing antiseptic dressings to reduce postoperative SSIs like Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by providing patients with a primary and secondary barrier for multi-day wound protection.

“Protecting our patients from preventable harm is a key focus in the perioperative environment as SSIs are estimated to cost $3.3 billion annually and have a significant impact on patient mortality,” said Angela Carranza CST, BA, manager of perioperative clinical resources at Medline. “Medline is an advocate in supporting prevention strategies by empowering perioperative staff to reduce SSIs and HAIs with the right products, education, and by following AORN’s Guidelines for Perioperative Practice and evidence-based research.”

Medline is also offering the training course, “Strategies for Surgical Site Infection Prevention Throughout the Perioperative Phases of Care,” providing 2.0 continuing education (CE) credits. Participants have 90 days to complete the evaluations and can access the training via the expo mobile app or online at the AORN Expo website.

“The AORN Expo offers valuable opportunities to learn about innovations coming in the perioperative space as well as a wide variety of opportunities for clinical staff to complete their continuing education,” said Kim Haines BSN, RN, director of perioperative services at Medline. “Education is becoming more and more important as nurse shortages are changing the perioperative environment. One of the ways Medline is advocating for patient and clinician safety is by assessing the surgical environment to identify areas that require additional support to ensure the surgical team is well prepared to provide care at the highest level.”

Medline’s perioperative portfolio offers comprehensive resources that assist clinicians in reducing HAIs and SSIs while promoting evidence-based practices and include solutions for all phases of surgical care, including:

1. Pre-Op Resources: To assist in preparing patients for operations, Medline’s ReadyPrep Total Prep System includes a Chlorhexidine Gluconate (CHG) wash and antiseptic nasal swabs to provide patients with an evidence-based solution to reduce the risk of SSIs and HAIs before entering the healthcare facility.
2. Intra-op Resources: Medline’s Stop the Burden and Ready. Set. Close. packs provide clinicians with standardized solutions for transitioning into clean closure protocols and cleaning surgical instruments at the point of use to ensure bioburden is removed for proper cleaning and sterilization techniques.
3. Post-Op Resources: In the post-operative phase, Medline’s wound dressing offering, including PrimaSeal AG+ and Optifoam, help patients to protect their wound as it heals to reduce the risk of SSIs.

Learn more about how Medline makes healthcare run better across the continuum of care.