Surgical Site Preparation

Hygienic skin preparation prior to an intraoperative procedure is vital to reducing microbial counts on the skin. The Australian College of Operating Room Nurses (ACORN) recommends that preoperating skin asepsis is performed to reduce the risk of postoperative wound infections by removing soil and transient organisms from the skin¹.

¹AORN. Recommended practices for preoperative patient skin antisepsis. In: Perioperative standards and recommended practices. Denver: Association of perioperative Registered Nurses; 2008.