Preparing a patient for surgery may include removing body hair from skin in the
area where the surgery will be performed. For those patients who needed to have hair removed to prepare for surgery, this
measure indicates how often one of the safer methods was used (electric clippers or
hair removal cream).
Why is it important?
Medical research has shown that shaving with
a razor can increase the risk of infection. It is safer to use electric clippers
or hair removal cream.
The chart above shows how often hospitals used the proper hair removal technique on their surgery patients—the higher percentage the better..