The Combined Impact of Surgical Team Education and Chlorhexidine 2% Alcohol on the Reduction of Surgical Site Infection following Cardiac Surgery.

Background: The use of 2% chlorhexidine in 70% alcohol (CHG) has been associated with reduction in catheter-related bloodstream infections and surgical site infection (SSI) in general surgery. Also, improved awareness of best practice from the perspective of the operative team is likely to result in reductions in SSI rates.

Methods: This is an ambispective cohort study of patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery.

Bar-code verification: reducing but not eliminating medication errors.

Using observation, eye tracking, and clinical simulation with embedded errors, we studied the impact of bar-code verification on error identification and recovery during medication administration. Data supported that bar-code verification may reduce but does not eliminate patient identification (ID) and medication errors during clinical simulation of medication administration.