Table 1.
Summary of recommendations and key actions for patients to participate in SSI prevention program
| Recommendations | Key actions for patients |
|---|---|
| 1. Staphylococcus aureus screening and decolonization | For high risk surgery, nasal screening for methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) or methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) carriage is recommended |
| Decolonization treatment with mupirocin 2% ointment with or without a combination of chlorhexidine gluconate body wash prior to surgery is needed for nasal carriage of MSSA or MRSA | |
| Apply decolonization treatment at least the night and the morning before your surgery Decolonization treatment for 3–5 days before the surgery if possible | |
| 2. Smoking | Inform your doctor about your smoking history before surgery |
| Quit smoking 4 weeks or longer before your surgery | |
| 3. Hair removal | Shaving is strongly discouraged |
| Do not remove hair at the site of the planned incision when at home Hair should only be removed with an electrical clipper | |
| 4. Hand hygiene | Clean your hands before eating a meal; after visiting the toilet or using commode/urinal; before and after touching your drip (IV line) or drainage bag/tube |
| Visitors should not touch your wound or dressings | |
| Speak up if you do not see HCWs clean their hands | |
| 5. Body temperature | Ask about the procedures followed to keep you warm throughout surgery |
| Take a hot shower shortly before the surgery | |
| Avoid “cooling down” | |
| Ask for extra blankets to keep yourself warm during transportation | |
| Speak up, if you feel cold before or after surgery and ask for a blanket | |
| 6. Preoperative showering and bathing | Make sure your skin is clean before surgery |
| Shower or bathe (full body) with either soap (antimicrobial or non-antimicrobial) on the night before and/or in the morning of the surgery | |
| 7. Diabetes mellitus | See your doctor at least one month before your scheduled surgery |
| Maintain stable blood glucose levels before, during and after surgery | |
| Inform HCWs about your routine insulin regime | |
| 8. Wound care after surgery | The wound dressing should be kept in place for 48 h after surgery |
| If change of dressing is necessary, this should be done under a clean technique | |
| Ensure that HCWs clean hands immediately before changing your dressing | |
| Visitors should not touch your wound or the dressing when visiting you | |
| Make sure you know and understand how to care for your wound before leaving the hospital | |
| Report any redness, pain, swelling or fever to HCWs | |
| 9. Multidrug-resistant organism risk (MDRO) | Inform HCWs about any travel history or previous recent hospitalisation |
| Inform of any known carriage of any MDRO such as MRSA, Extended Spectrum β-Lactamase (ESBL) producing or Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) |