Surgical Site Infection Surveillance

[roanne]

Hello! I'm a new Infection Control Practitioner in a 750-bed hospital in Manila, and I'm assigned to do the surgical site infection surveillance. I'm having a difficult time monitoring the patients after they've been discharged, I can only monitor them while they're confined in the hospital. But there are studies that say 20% to 70% of SSIs occur after discharge from the hospital. How do your IC professionals in your facility do post-discharge SSI surveillance? The doctors and nurses in our hospital are not that cooperative. They're unwilling to fill out extra survey forms/questionnaires, or even answer simple assessment questions, especially the surgical residents. There are at least 50 surgical procedures that happen in our Operating Room everyday. I have to do the job myself, and it's proving to be difficult. I'd really appreciate it if anyone gave me an idea how to do SSIS. Thanks!

[Scarlette Wings]

Hi Roanne,

We have a standardized letter that can be sent out to the surgeon upon patient discharge that goes to the surgeon's office. On it you have a simple yes/no set of questions the nurse at the surgeon can answer when the Pt returns for their post op visit. They will comply better if they can fax it back to you or you enclose a self addressed stamped envelope. The simpler the questions the better. Temp 100.4 or higher? yes/no Incision red with drainage? yes/no Those types of things. Many do not return them but you are trying and some will return them. A good relationship with the office nurse helps too. Good luck.

[angelynapeter]

Hi Roanne,

We were also facing the same difficulties the first time we did SSIS. Then, one day, we make friends with one of the junior general surgeon. He was excited about the whole thing. From then on, it's done by General Surgery department (from printing of the SSIS forms and tracking of the patient on discharge)...The forms were really simple too. All yes/no...type.They gave us feedback on the SSI rate monthly..Hope this helped.