Reducing Surgical Site Infections in Florida: Evidence-based Strategies for Perioperative Prevention in Hysterectomy and Colorectal Care

Surgical site infections remain a significant source of preventable postoperative complications and continue to affect patient outcomes and healthcare utilization. 

Variations in infection rates and adherence to prevention practices highlight the need for surgical and perioperative teams to consistently apply current, evidence-based strategies across the perioperative continuum.

This activity will deliver practical strategies for reducing surgical site infections by emphasizing appropriate antimicrobial prophylaxis, standardized prevention bundles and coordinated multidisciplinary decision-making through scenarios that mirror real-world operative challenges.
 

Target Audience

Infectious Disease Specialists, Surgeons, OB/GYNs, Anesthesiologists, Perioperative Nurses, Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, Respiratory Therapists, Physician Assistants/Physician Associates, Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians and other members of the operating room and perioperative care teams 

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, participants should be better able to:

  • Apply current evidence-based surgical site infection (SSI) prevention practices, including appropriate antibiotic selection, administration timing, weight-based dosing, intraoperative redosing and discontinuation of prophylactic antibiotics at surgical closure.
  • Implement a comprehensive perioperative SSI prevention bundle incorporating evidence-based strategies for skin antisepsis, maintenance of normothermia, perioperative glucose management, optimization of oxygenation and surgical wound protection.
  • Interpret Florida SSI surveillance data using National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) definitions and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Standardized Infection Ratio (SIR) metrics to identify opportunities for SSI prevention and performance improvement.
  • Apply current colorectal SSI prevention evidence, including bowel preparation strategies, oral antibiotic prophylaxis, and enhanced recovery principles, to optimize colon surgery workflows.
  • Integrate gynecologic SSI prevention evidence, including appropriate use of cefazolin with metronidazole when indicated, to optimize hysterectomy surgical prophylaxis practices.
     
Additional information
Bibliography: 
  • Bindellini, D., Simon, P., Busse, D., Michelet, R., Petroff, D., Aulin, L. B. S., Dorn, C., Zeitlinger, M., Huisinga, W., Wrigge, H., & Kloft, C. (2025). Evaluation of the need for dosing adaptations in obese patients for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis: A model-based analysis of cefazolin pharmacokinetics. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 134(4), 1041–1049. 
  • Calderwood, M. S., Anderson, D. J., Bratzler, D. W., Dellinger, E. P., Garcia-Houchins, S., Maragakis, L. L., Nyquist, A. C., Perkins, K. M., Preas, M. A., Saiman, L., Schaffzin, J. K., Schweizer, M., Yokoe, D. S., & Kaye, K. S. (2023). Strategies to prevent surgical site infections in acute-care hospitals: 2022 update. Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, 44(5), 695–720. 
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2026, January). National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Patient Safety Component Manual. 
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2026, January). National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Patient Safety Component manual: Surgical site infection (SSI) event. 
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2026, January 29). Current HAI progress report: 2024 National and State Healthcare Associated Infections Progress Report. 
  • Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2026, January 26). Healthcare-Associated Infections—Hospital (HAI_3 and HAI_4 measures). 
  • Irani, J. L., Hedrick, T. L., Miller, T. E., Lee, L., Steinhagen, E., Shogan, B. D., Goldberg, J. E., Feingold, D. L., Lightner, A. L., & Paquette, I. M. (2023). Clinical practice guidelines for enhanced recovery after colon and rectal surgery from the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons. Surgical Endoscopy, 37(1), 5–30. 
  • Knisely, A., Iniesta, M. D., Marten, C. A., Chisholm, G., Schmeler, K. M., & Taylor, J. S. (2024). Metronidazole and cefazolin vs cefazolin alone for surgical site infection prophylaxis in gynecologic surgery at a comprehensive cancer center. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 231(3), 326.e1–326.e13. 
  • Motaghi, S., Karam, S. G., Mulazzani, F., et al. (2026). Antibiotic prophylaxis strategies and surgical site infections in colorectal surgery: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. JAMA Network Open, 9(2), e2560095. 
  • Pai, M. P., Matvekas, A., Sullivan, J., Liu, S., Wang, L., Derstine, B., Ross, B., Tummala, H., Regenbogen, S., Byrn, J., Su, G. L., & Wang, S. (2026). Challenging weight-tiered antibiotic prophylaxis in obese patients undergoing colorectal surgery using CT-derived body composition. Clinical Infectious Diseases. Advance online publication.
  • Ryan, R., McDonald, S., Wallis, S. C., van Zundert, A., Wu, X., Won, H., Lipman, J., Hernandez-Mitre, M. P., & Roberts, J. A. (2026). Population pharmacokinetics of cefazolin and metronidazole in patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, 67(5), 107742. 

Course Summary

Available credit: 
  • 2.00 ABIM Medical Knowledge
  • 2.00 ABS Accredited CME
  • 2.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Speaker Credit™
  • 2.00 General certificate of attendance
  • 2.00 Nurse Practitioners
  • 2.00 Florida Board of Nursing
  • 2.00 Florida Board of Pharmacy
  • 2.00 Florida Board of Respiratory Therapy
Course opens: 
10/01/2026
Course expires: 
09/30/2029

Jessica Garciga, R.N., BSN, CIC, CSPDT
Director of Infection Prevention & Control
Baptist Health South Florida
Miami, Florida
                
Richard L. Levine, M.D.
Infectious Disease Specialist
Baptist Hospital, Doctors Hospital and South Miami Hospital
Chair, Antimicrobial Stewardship Committee, Doctors Hospital
Baptist Health South Florida
Miami, Florida

Richard L. Levine, M.D., and Jessica Garciga, RN, BSN, CIC, CSPDT, faculty for this educational activity, have no relevant financial relationship with ineligible companies* to disclose and have indicated that the presentation or discussion will not include off-label or unapproved product usage.

Non-faculty contributors and others involved in the planning, development, and editing/review of the content have no relevant financial relationships to disclose with ineligible companies*

*Ineligible companies - Companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

Disclosure Policy and Disclaimer

Baptist Health South Florida is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Baptist Health has been re-surveyed by the ACCME and awarded Commendation for 6 years as a provider of CME for physicians.

Baptist Health South Florida designates this enduring material for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

American Board of Internal Medicine Maintenance of Certification

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 2.0 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

Your participation information will be shared with specialty boards through the ACCME's PARS reporting system. Successful completion of a course examination is required. Submissions are recorded in approximately 48 hours. You will receive an email when your credits have been processed.

Through an agreement between the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, medical practitioners participating in the Royal College MOC Program may record completion of accredited activities registered under the ACCME’s “CME in Support of MOC” program in Section 3 of the Royal College’s MOC Program.

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American Board of Surgery - Maintenance of Certification (MOC) - Accredited CME - General Surgery

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.

Your participation information will be shared with specialty boards through the ACCME's PARS reporting system. Successful completion of a course examination is required. Submissions are recorded in approximately 48 hours. You will receive an email when your credits have been processed.

Available Credit

  • 2.00 ABIM Medical Knowledge
  • 2.00 ABS Accredited CME
  • 2.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Speaker Credit™
  • 2.00 General certificate of attendance
  • 2.00 Nurse Practitioners
  • 2.00 Florida Board of Nursing
  • 2.00 Florida Board of Pharmacy
  • 2.00 Florida Board of Respiratory Therapy
Please login or register for a Baptist Health CME account to take this course.

Your participation information will be shared with specialty boards through the ACCME's PARS reporting system. Successful completion of a course examination is required. Submissions are recorded in approximately 48 hours. You will receive an email when your credits have been processed.

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