Surgical Team’s Knowledge Levels About Pre-Operative Hair Removal: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: This study aimed to assess the surgical team's knowledge of hair removal practices to prevent surgical site infections. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional design was used, involving 145 surgical clinic employees from a university and public hospital between February and August 2023. Data were collected using a 26-question (15 true 11 false statements) survey about hair removal knowledge. Results: The participants' mean age was 34.77±7.35, with 69.7% female, and 78.6% had received training on surgical site infections. The mean knowledge score for hair removal was 15.68±2.29, indicating insufficient knowledge. Only 11 of the 26 suggestions regarding hair removal had a correct answer rate above 80%. The highest correct response was that using an electric shaver prevents damage to skin integrity, while the least correct response was that hair should be cut to prevent infection during head and neck surgery. No significant differences in knowledge scores were found based on age, gender, profession, education level, institution, unit, length of service, or training in surgical site infections and hair removal (p>0.05). Conclusion: As a result, it was determined that the knowledge level of the surgical team's knowledge of hair removal practices to prevent surgical site infections was not at the desired level.