NURSING ROLE IN THE PREVENTION OF SURGICAL SITE INFECTIONS: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Abstract

Surgical Site Infection (SSI) is an important cause of hospital complications, which is why it is considered one of the main concerns during health care. The objective of this study was to analyze the role of nursing professionals in the prevention of surgical site infections (SSI). This is an integrative literature review where a bibliographic survey was carried out in which, after the analysis by title and abstract consistent with the objective of the study, a total of 12 articles were selected. The results list the standard precaution as nursing actions that corroborate the prevention of SSI; hand hygiene; instruments that assess risk factors; correct management of the surgical wound; orientation to patients and family members and post-discharge surveillance. In view of this, the need for discussions on the theme is emphasized in order to sensitize nursing professionals about the planning of preventive measures and thus, encourage practices that reduce the incidence of infections and their consequences.