Economic evaluation of pre-operative shower with antiseptic soap to prevent surgical site infections

Background: A pre-operative shower is recommended before surgery to prevent surgical site infections (SSIs).

Methods: We modelled the occurrence of SSIs and the potential savings for patients undergoing an antimicrobial soap (AS) shower prior to surgery at a French University Hospital level.

Results: AS shower prevented 209 SSIs, generating a potential saving of €632,210 per year. Results grouped by type of surgery showed annual savings of €26,537, €20,520 and €14,377 for orthopaedic, gynaecologic and obstetric, and digestive surgery, respectively.

Conclusions: Despite the lack of published data surrounding the efficacy of AS in preventing SSIs, we demonstrated the potential savings and benefits of generalizing AS before surgical interventions.