Journal of perioperative practice
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Surgical hand antisepsis is routinely carried out prior to undertaking invasive procedures in an attempt to reduce surgical site infection. There are a number of components within hand antisepsis which include the choice of antiseptic agent, the method of application and the duration of the process. ⋯ While a traditional scrub using chlorhexidine gluconate remains the preferred method of antisepsis, 20% of practitioners use alcohol rubs for repeated cases. Compliance with recommended guidelines is patchy (for example, only 3% of practitioners scrub for the recommended time of two minutes) and guidelines need to address more issues.
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Inadvertent hypothermia is a condition prevalent within the perioperative setting, since it has been estimated that as many as 70% of surgical patients suffer some degree of hypothermia (Litwack 1995, cited in Arndt 1999). This article will focus primarily on increasing the practitioner's awareness of patient risk and will discuss preventative measures. It will also provide the required underpinning knowledge to implement quality patient care.