Biography:
Caroline holds BS in nursing since 1988, certified in Infection Control (NYIC) as well as educator for NYIC certification. She is JCI certified educator for JCI education program “Safety in Surgical Services”.
She has more than 28 years’ experience in Nursing Management, Infection control and Health Care Quality, Accreditation Management and Elderly Care. She held the position of Director of Nursing Services at “Home Care Lebanon”, where she was leading the Health Care Team and responsible for Patient Safety, from 1997 to 2004. From 1994 to 1997 Caroline held the position of Operating Room Nursing Manager in Lebanon.
She is an active public speaker at international and national congresses for Patient Safety, Surgical forum, Hand Hygiene Campaigns and Infection Preventions summits in CEEMEA region.
Since she joined 3M in 2004, she has been working closely with Hospitals Management team, Infection Control and Patient Safety Committees all over the CEEMEA region to improve patient safety, Expectations and outcomes. Her contribution in creating awareness of the best practices and driving surgical safety solution, surgical pathway, clinical evidences and standards of care to prevent Hospital Acquired Infection as well as educating Health Care Staff in CEEMEA region is broadly recognized and appreciated. She has publication on the Reduction of Surgical Site Infections in Cesarean Section Deliveries by Implementation of a Surgical Care Pathway.
Abstract:
Caesarean section deliveries are an important surgical procedure that is used to improve both maternal and fetal outcomes in complicated pregnancies. In recent times however the convenience of the surgery for both mother and surgeon has resulted in an increasing global trend of C-section deliveries which according to the World Health Organization has now reached pandemic proportions. The nature of the surgery makes it a high risk procedure and the incidence of infection have been increasing in both well and under-resourced countries. Since the entire process is not limited to a single hospital department, a multi-disciplinary approach is needed to minimize the risk of infections. For this study a surgical care pathway was introduced as part of a performance improvement project to a private hospital in South Africa which resulted in C-section infection rates decreasing from 5.12 ± 0.82 % to 0.23 ± 0.15 % (p<0.0001).