A study, published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, examined how strict operating room attire regulations impacted surgical site infection rates.
Researchers compared National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data from two facilities. They compared 3,077 patients nine months before implementation to time-matched data from 3,440 patients nine months after policy implementation.
Here's what they found:
1. Despite more clean cases, there were more SSIs post-implementation (33) than pre-implementation (30).
2. There was no difference in length of stay, complication or mortality rate between the two periods.
3. Patients with wounds were more likely to contract an SSI than other conditions.
4. When researchers reviewed only clean or clean-contaminated cases, incisional SSIs increased from 0.7 percent to 0.8 percent.
5. Researchers also conducted a multivariable analysis, which showed policies did not decrease SSIs.
Researchers concluded, "Implementation of stringent operating room attire policies do not reduce SSI rates. A study to prove this principle further would be impractical to conduct."