Training Course on Surgical Site Infection Prevention

Module 1 – Understanding Surgical Site Infections
Subtopics & Theory:
Definition, classification, and epidemiology of SSIs.
Risk factors: patient-related, procedure-related, and environmental factors.
Microbiology of common pathogens causing SSIs.
Clinical and economic impact of SSIs on patients and healthcare systems.
Practical Exercises:
Case study: identifying risk factors in surgical patients.
Group activity: mapping SSI incidence trends within a hospital.
Discussion: consequences of SSIs on patient outcomes and hospital performance.

Module 2 – Preoperative Infection Prevention
Subtopics & Theory:
Preoperative patient assessment and optimization: comorbidities, nutrition, skin preparation.
Hair removal and antiseptic bathing protocols.
Antibiotic prophylaxis: selection, timing, and dosing.
Preoperative environment and instrument sterilization standards.
Practical Exercises:
Workshop: preoperative patient screening and optimization checklist.
Simulation: proper preoperative antiseptic techniques.
Case discussion: evaluating antibiotic prophylaxis protocols.

Module 3 – Intraoperative Infection Control Practices
Subtopics & Theory:
Principles of surgical asepsis and sterile field maintenance.
Operating room environment: air quality, traffic control, and sterilization.
Surgical hand hygiene and PPE compliance.
Instrument handling, wound management, and minimizing contamination.
Practical Exercises:
Skills practice: donning and doffing sterile PPE.
Simulation: maintaining sterile fields during surgery.
Group activity: identify potential contamination points in the OR workflow.

Module 4 – Postoperative Care and Surveillance
Subtopics & Theory:
Wound care protocols and dressing management.
Early recognition and management of SSI symptoms.
SSI surveillance methods: monitoring, data collection, and reporting.
Communication with patients and families regarding postoperative care.
Practical Exercises:
Workshop: wound assessment and documentation.
Case studies: managing postoperative infections.
Group activity: designing a surveillance and reporting system for SSIs.

Module 5 – Quality Improvement and Multidisciplinary Approaches
Subtopics & Theory:
Continuous quality improvement (CQI) in SSI prevention.
Multidisciplinary team roles: surgeons, nurses, infection control officers, and administrators.
Auditing compliance with SSI prevention protocols.
Policy development, training programs, and ethical considerations in infection prevention.
Practical Exercises:
Capstone project: develop a hospital SSI prevention program.
Simulation: team-based SSI prevention strategy review.
Peer review: evaluate policies and propose improvements