Failure to understand the importance of managing temperature remains a key patient safety issue that must be addressed. Awareness of this issue was recently raised at an educational day, held in London. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.
‘Managing temperatures to enhance patient care’ was the subject of discussion at a recent educational event, hosted by the 3M Academy, at the University College London Hospital. The aim of the event was to raise awareness of the link between inadvertent perioperative hypothermia and surgical site infection (SSI), to increase understanding of current guidance and best practice, and to explore patient warming solutions through a series of interactive workshops.
Taking temperature
The theme Taking temperature: a patient safety issue was tackled by Kat Topley – a clinical efficiency manager with 3M, with a nursing background and many years of experience in infection prevention and control. She highlighted current data which suggests that prevalence of SSI is around 5% for surgery in general, and over 10% for procedures such as bowel surgery. However, she added that prevalence rates for SSI are “just the tip of the iceberg”, as surveillance is often poorly performed.
Log in or register FREE to read the rest
This story is Premium Content and is only available to registered users. Please log in at the top of the page to view the full text.
If you don't already have an account, please register with us completely free of charge.
