RCSI training set to tackle hospital bugs

A new surgical education initiative developed by the RCSI will help prevent infection in patients following surgery.
The Surgical Development Initiative is in line with the World Health Organization’s recent prioritisation of patient safety to prevent healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) as part of its ‘Safe Surgery Saves Lives’ initiative.

The RCSI initiative is being launched this month to the new group of surgical trainees who commence their basic surgical training in July. Delivered via a website, www.surginfection.com, it has been developed specifically for trainees to improve practice in the areas of hand hygiene, the optimal use of antimicrobial prophylaxis, the care of wound sites after surgery and the prevention of bloodstream infection that can result from infected intravascular devices.
This teaching programme will assess the trainee’s current practice and their knowledge of interventions to minimise HCAIs, and facilitate access to national and international guidelines.
The College has carried out an audit of surgical practice and this will be repeated following the delivery of the programme to measure its effectiveness.
The Surgical Development Initiative is a joint initiative between the RCSI Departments of Clinical Microbiology and Surgery and the Faculty of Nursing.
“Education to improve practice is a key component in preventing healthcare-associated infection and this RCSI initiative will maximise patient safety by enhancing the education of surgical trainees,” said Prof Hilary Humphreys, RCSI Department of Clinical Microbiology.