ISSN: 2474-9230
The Reduction of Surgical Site Infections in Cesarean Section Deliveries by Implementation of a Surgical Care Pathway
Authors:
Ramesar SV1*, Hugo H1, Bouwer B1, Bilen C2 and Mailula T3
Caesarean section deliveries are an important surgical procedure that is used to improve both maternal and fetal outcomes in complicated pregnancies. In recent times however the convenience of the surgery for both mother and surgeon has resulted in an increasing global trend of C-section deliveries which according to the World Health Organization has now reached pandemic proportions. The nature of the surgery makes it a high risk procedure and the incidence of infection have been increasing in both well and under-resourced countries. Since the entire process is not limited to a single hospital department, a multi-disciplinary approach is needed to minimize the risk of infections. For this study a surgical care pathway was introduced as part of a performance improvement project to a private hospital in South Africa which resulted in C-section infection rates decreasing from 5.12 ± 0.82 % to 0.23 ± 0.15 % (p<0.0001).
Keywords:
Caesarean Section; Infection Prevention; Performance Improvement Project; Surgical Care Pathway.
Chat with us on WhatsApp