BIOSAFETY IN THE SURGICAL CENTER: STRATEGIES FOR PREVENTING INFECTIONS

Abstract

Introduction: The purpose of biosafety is to mitigate the risks arising from activities that may compromise human and environmental health. In the surgical center, it is relevant because it has standards and practices that aim to ensure the protection of professionals and their patients. In this environment, adverse events may occur due to the complexity of the procedures and the lack of training, contributing to the increase in Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs). Objective: to identify in the literature the biosafety measures for the prevention of infections in the surgical center. Methodology: The research is an integrative review of the literature, based on the following guiding question: what are the biosafety measures for the prevention of infections in the surgical center? Data collection took place between July and August of this year, through the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), Virtual Health Library (VHL) and Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (Lilacs) databases, using the descriptors in health sciences (DeCS): biosafety, nursing, infections and surgical center, combined with the Boolean operator AND. The inclusion criteria adopted were articles published between 2019 and 2024, articles available in Portuguese and English for free, that addressed the topic and that were available in full. Duplicate articles were excluded, that is, those present in more than one database, monographs, incomplete articles, dissertations and those that deviated from the study proposal. The data were analyzed, gathered and presented in tables, and discussed according to the relevant literature. Results and discussions: Nurses play an essential role in preventing surgical site infections (SSIs) by monitoring and developing biosafety actions in the surgical center. These actions include: use of PPE, appropriate clothing, antibiotic therapy control, rigorous hygiene and equipment sterilization. In addition, active patient participation is crucial, changing from a passive role to a collaborator in the process. Measures such as constant surveillance, control of comorbidities and education of professionals and patients are essential in reducing hospital infections. CONCLUSION: Control of surgical site infections (SSIs) depends on nurses' vigilance and the adoption of biosafety practices based on scientific evidence.