Reducing OR traffic during total joints lowers SSIs

Editor's Note

Implementing strategies to reduce the number of OR door openings during total hip and knee procedures helped lower surgical site infections (SSIs) in this study presented at the 2016 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Conference in San Diego.

Strategies included stopping all traffic in and out of the OR between skin incision and closure, communicating by phone, and increasing the use of templates to determine implant size before each procedure. A sign was put on the door to remind staff to minimize traffic, and they had to record why they entered the room during the procedure.

Door openings decreased from 42-70 to just 3.2 per case. SSIs decreased from 2.8% to 2.1%.

Study results presented at the 2016 ACS NSQIP Conference reveal how one Canadian hospital safety team implemented strategies to reduce the number of door openings during operations NEWS FROM THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS | FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SAN DIEGO (Monday, July 18, 3:30 pm PDT): A safety team at a Canadian hospital determined there was too much traffic in and out of the operating room (OR) during total joint replacement procedures.