Bundles of Care
A bundle of care describes a group of interventions which have been demonstrated by independent multi-variant analysis of a large body of research material to have a consistent and independent effect on outcomes. When consistently applied in conjunction with each other they reduce error or failure rate dramatically.
Our hospitals use a number of different bundles of care, one of which is for surgical site infections for four specific procedures - hip replacement, knee replacement, hysterectomy, and cardiac bypass. These four operations have been selected because they form part of the national Surgical Site Infection Surveillance Survey, which allows us to benchmark our performance. Unlike many UK hospitals, all HCA hospitals submit data to this survey.
The components of this specific bundle are: appropriate use of antibiotics, appropriate hair removal, maintenance of postoperative glucose control, and maintenance of postoperative normothermia (normal body temperature). Individually these items all seem quite basic, but applied together, every time, achieves consistent, high quality care. For example, with hair removal many hospitals use razors which can irritate skin and lead to a higher risk of infection. Medical evidence shows that using clippers is just as effective from a hygiene point of view and removes risk of infection.
It's this attention to detail that ensures that our patients receive the highest quality care.
