SURGICAL SITE INFECTION PREVENTION Regardless of the facility where a surgical procedure is per- formed, the same basic surgical infection prevention measures must be reliably implemented (ie, prophylactic antibiotics, aseptic and sterile technique, use of PPE, careful prepping and draping, removal of patient hair outside of the OR if required, full containment of staff member hair). In addition, patients should be instructed to perform a preoperative antiseptic bath or shower. In the OR, team members must prep the patient’s skin with dual-agent solutions (eg, alcohol plus another anti- septic such as chlorhexidine gluconate [CHG] or povidone iodine).16 If involved in surgical case observation, an IP can assess all these areas and may be able to help identify improvement opportunities or areas in which practices vary from prescribed protocol. For example, because hair can harbor bacteria and the head and body shed hair and skin cells, all body hair should be covered (ie, with a surgical cap for both staff and patient, cover jacket for nonscrubbed staff members) to prevent this shedding and remove a possible source of an SSI.17