AORN updates skin antisepsis guidelines

To make pre-surgical care safer, the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) recently updated its 2021 Guidelines for Perioperative Practice. The guidelines reflect the growing practice of incorporating nasal decolonization alongside skin antisepsis prior to surgery. They also introduce the use of povidone iodine, an antiseptic that requires only one application before surgery to reduce Staphylococcus aureus by almost 100%, reducing the risk that patients will not properly treat their own skin prior to arriving for surgery. According to the guidelines, the bacteria is present in almost a third of healthy adults, and more than three quarters of surgical infections are traced to the patient’s own flora. (HealthLeaders Media article, 7/14/21)