Small and Rural—HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital - Breese

HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital - Breese
Our Journey to Zero Surgical Site Infections 

To decrease surgical site infections (SSIs), HSHS St. Joseph’s Hospital - Breese conducted a hospital-wide risk assessment of infection prevention practices. This initiative focused on:

• Collaborating with general surgery providers on patient education for pre- and post-operative care;
• Elevating infection control risk assessments during construction projects; and
• Implementing pre-operative skin preparation protocols for high-risk patients.   

As a result:

• The SSI rate fell from 1.16 in 2017 to 0.34 in 2018; and
• Physicians and staff are more engaged in promoting patient safety.