Stakeholder/Committee/Special Group Reporting and Approval Process: Surgical Site Infections

BY SABITHA RAJAN, MD

A stakeholder is an individual or group with a direct interest in or whose interests may be affected by the project outcome. Every medical center has stakeholders who should be made aware of new initiatives prior to implementation. These individuals or committees may have direct involvement in the project or may influence the project outcome; for example, they may offer insight and guidance regarding initiatives that have been successful (or unsuccessful) in the past.

Involving stakeholders early is also important for the approval process. There is typically an approval process that should be completed in order to maximize awareness, provide legal protection, and improve the success of interventions. Stakeholders are important for buy-in and can influence decision makers or may have organizational authority. This can improve the overall success of the initiative as well as provide resources for process improvements down the line.

Each medical center may have different stakeholders who are appropriate to involve. Some examples of stakeholders in surgical site infections initiatives are:

• Surgery
• Cardiology
• Orthopedics
• Vascular surgery
• Medicine
• Hospitalists
• Infectious disease (ID)
• Pharmacy
• Nursing
• Endocrinology
• Quality improvement committee
• Information technology
• Wound care
• Emergency department
• Microbiology
• Infection control/epidemiology
• Case managers/social workers

TASK A: Identify key stakeholders, committees, and special groups that need to be aware of your efforts to improve SSIs and reduce this occurrence.

TASK B: Clarify the reporting structure and approval process for your order sets, interventions, and resource approval