As a nurse in a leadership role on a surgical floor, some of my colleagues and I have begun to question some of the routine preoperative procedures that are conducted such as surgical shaving. I have wondered whether the procedures have a basis in research. In order to improve quality of care, I have decided to undertake an evidence-based project to determine the basis for the procedures, any suggested changes, and possible barriers to implementation of a revised clinical practice guideline. Surgical shaving is part of the pre opt procedure to reduce the risk of infection as the following example shows.
“Surgery involves making two incisions, one on each side, on the front of the scrotum, about 1 inch long each, and 1/2 to 1 inch below the penis. The area to be shaved is the front and sides of the scrotum, the shaft of the penis (especially the underside and the sides), and a small area on either side of the penis, about 1/2 inch onto the inguinal (groin) area. It is not necessary to shave the pubic area — the area above the penis” (Shaving the Surgical Area). Quality of care and medical staff is important in nursing because it helps to use new strategies to build clinical processes that satisfy the needs of new and current patients. Furthermore, these strategies will also satisfy patients with responsive, individualized care. The nursing staff can provide the best care by having the best practices for various equipped functions. This includes comprehensive performance measures and organizational models. By doing this, nurses can show a culture of empowerment and responsive leadership that promotes teamwork among physicians and other staff, which provides a strong environment for patients. Quality of care and medical staff should be effective because the patients depend on them before and after surgery. Quality of care means prevent infections for the patients so that complications after surgery can also be reduced. After interviewing Dr. Ken Finkelstein, it is clear that there are national standards for surgical protocols. Most of these are based on surgical studies. For example, we now clip hair with a surgical clipper instead of shaving with a razor because there was a proven decrease in post op infections. To shave or not shave a patient is made by the surgeon but how you shave the patient is determined by each individual hospital based on national standards (Finkelstein, 2012). According to the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) preoperative skin preparation of surgical patients should take place so that bacteria will not build up from having hair. This is because being a nurse takes responsible and is a responsible to give people knowledge on health wellness. Being a nurse is about giving back to the community and making a difference in a person’s life. This is something a nurse how to get across to people in order to make that difference. That nurse must go deeper than the superficiality of "nursing helps people maintain health (Nursing Philosophy........ It Matters, 2012).
“The fight against post-operative wound infections has long been undertaken by practitioners. We appreciate that surgical site infections (SSIs) are frequently caused by bacteria commonly found on the skin. Therefore, reducing the number of bacteria on the skin has been a common preoperative practice. Standards and recommended practices from the Association of perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN) state preoperative skin preparation of surgical patients should include little or no hair removal, cleansing of the area around the surgical site, and use of an antiseptic agent immediately before the surgical incision” (Ramsey, 2012). The clinical implications of this practice might be to shave or clip the hair before surgery but there is no evidence that it does or does not reduce infections. It is done to make sure there are no possible infections in order to prevent any law suits or further possible