Introduction

Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) remain one of the most preventable yet impactful healthcare-associated infections, affecting patient outcomes, length of stay, antimicrobial use, and overall surgical quality indicators. The intraoperative phase is a critical window where real-time practices—such as aseptic technique, operating room discipline, surgical hand preparation, skin antisepsis, antibiotic prophylaxis timing, instrument sterility, and maintenance of patient physiology—directly influence SSI risk. This module focuses on evidence-based intraoperative strategies that help surgical teams consistently reduce contamination and prevent microbial entry into the surgical wound.

Scope

This program covers SSI prevention practices from patient entry into the operating room until transfer to recovery, with emphasis on:

• Operating room asepsis and sterile field maintenance
• Surgical hand scrub/hand rub and gowning-gloving discipline
• Patient skin preparation and draping standards
• Intraoperative antibiotic prophylaxis support (timing/redosing coordination)
• Environmental controls (OR traffic, ventilation discipline, cleaning practices)
• Safe instrument handling and sterilization assurance checkpoints
• Intraoperative physiological optimization (normothermia, oxygenation, glycemic considerations as applicable)
• Surgical technique-related precautions (tissue handling, hemostasis, irrigation, wound protection)

Objectives

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

1. Explain how intraoperative practices influence SSI risk and patient safety outcomes.
2. Implement standardized sterile field practices and identify common breaks in asepsis.
3. Apply best practices for skin antisepsis, draping, and intraoperative wound protection.
4. Support compliance with antibiotic prophylaxis protocols (including timing and redosing triggers).
5. Reduce environmental contamination by controlling OR traffic and ensuring appropriate cleaning workflows.
6. Integrate checklist-based intraoperative SSI prevention bundles into routine surgical practice.
7. Recognize and respond to intraoperative risk events (e.g., contamination, glove breach, instrument compromise) using correct escalation steps.

Who can enroll

This program is suitable for:

• Surgeons, surgical residents, and interns
• Anaesthesiologists and anaesthesia technicians
• OT/OR nurses, scrub nurses, circulating nurses
• Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) nurses and quality teams
• OT managers/supervisors and hospital administrators overseeing surgical services
• CSSD/sterile processing staff involved in OR sterility assurance
• Healthcare students and allied health professionals participating in perioperative care

Study content from TERRALEAP.COM

To support learning and practical implementation, this program includes videos and PDF-based study resources provided through TERRALEAP.COM.