New WHO recommendations on preventing SSIs

Editor's Note

The World Health Organization (WHO) on November 3 released the “Global Guidelines for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection,” which includes a list of 29 recommendations (13 preoperative and 16 intra- and postoperative).

Included in the recommendations are:

• ensuring patients take a preoperative bath or shower
• no shaving
• giving antibiotics only to prevent infections before and during surgery, not afterwards
• best practices for surgical teams to clean their hands
• type of skin disinfectants to use before incision
• which sutures to use.

The new guidelines complement WHO’s “Surgical Safety Checklist.”