Video: Surgical skin preparation

The video below outlines the Surgical Site Infection Improvement Programme's guidelines for the appropriate use of surgical skin antisepsis preparation ­– the second in a series of interventions.

Preoperative skin antisepsis is a simple and effective measure to reduce the risk of surgical site infections (Maiwald, 2012). The primary source of organisms contributing to infection following surgery is the bacteria on a patient’s skin. The aim of skin antisepsis is to eliminate and rapidly kill skin flora at the site of a planned surgical incision (Safer Healthcare Now, 2011).