[Widespread preoperative hair removal in the southwest of The Netherlands despite an evidence-based guideline discouraging this practice].

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether the 1993 guideline from the Dutch Institute for Healthcare Improvement (CBO) is followed in the Southwest region of the Netherlands. The guideline states that preoperative hair removal serves no purpose in preventing wound infection.

DESIGN

Inventory.

METHOD

All surgical short-stay departments in the Southwest region of The Netherlands received a structured questionnaire on their management of preoperative hair removal. Questions included whether or not they had a hair removing protocol, which methods they used for removing hair and the timeframe within which preoperative hair removal usually was carried out.

RESULTS

The response was 100% (24/24). The majority of surgical short-stay departments did practice preoperative hair removal (88%). Less than half of the hospitals use a hair removal protocol. Hair clippers were used for preoperative hair removal in most hospitals (86%) and in 71% the procedure was carried out within 2 hours of the planned operation and mostly by nursing staff (71%). No difference was found in hair removal management in hospitals with or without a protocol.

CONCLUSION

Despite the existence of a published guideline that states that preoperative hair removal serves no purpose in preventing wound infection, the majority of hospitals in the Southwest region of the Netherlands do still carry out the practice as a routine action. The policy of hair removal management appears to depend on subjective feelings of individual surgeons. The existence ofan evidenced-based guideline does not appear to have much effect on this management.