Active post-operative phoned search for late infections of surgical site and thromboembolic events in the late postoperative period of plastic surgeries in a day hospital in the municipality of Porto Alegre

Diana Rodrigues Nicoletti,Stefania Giotti Cioato,Dionísia Oliveira De Oliveira,Morgana Thais Carollo Fernandes

doi:10.4322/2357-9730.78838

Abstract

Introduction: Elective and plastic surgical procedures are normally considered safer than emergency surgeries, although they cause concern to health services. The aim of this study was to analyze the active phoned search as a screening instrument for the diagnosis of surgical site infection (SSI) and thromboembolic events (TEs) in the late postoperative care of plastic surgeries in a private day hospital in the city of Porto Alegre. Methods: Quantitative, descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study. Data was collected from a database provided by phoned active search of sign and symptoms for epidemiological monitoring by the control infection service of a day-hospital, from July 2015 to February 2017. Results: A total of 3.595 patients were effective contacted in the indicated period. Among these patients, 77.6% received guidance on TEs. Moreover, 0.4% and 0.2% of patients reported signs and symptoms of SSI and TE, respectively. Associated procedures caused 50.0% of SSIs and 87.5% of TEs. Phoned search increased in 0.2% the number of reported cases of both adverse events in the overall sample. Conclusion: SSI and TE are worrying events for health institutions, since they can put patient safety at risk. Therefore, the data obtained in this study were used as a basis to qualify phoned search as an effective screening instrument for SSI and TE and provided support for the development of more consistent phoned search mechanisms for monitoring these postoperative events. Keywords: Epidemiological surveillance; infections; thromboembolism; plastic surgery

Highlights

Elective and plastic surgical procedures are normally considered safer than emergency surgeries, they cause concern to health services
The World Alliance for Patient Safety (WAPS) highlights the need for practices to ensure patient safety and prevent potential damage caused by adverse events1, defined as events or circumstances that may result or resulted in unnecessary damage to the patient2
According to the IT Department of the Brazilian Unified Health System (DATASUS), 739,867 adverse events and/or technical complaints from outpatient clinics, i.e., equipment failure that directly or indirectly affected care provision, were reported in Brazil in 2017, 95.8% of which occurred in the southeast region of the country, 1.6% in the south region, and 2.5% in the other regions3

Summary

Objectives

The aim of this study was to analyze the active phoned search as a screening instrument for the diagnosis of surgical site infection (SSI) and thromboembolic events (TEs) in the late postoperative care of plastic surgeries in a private day hospital in the city of Porto Alegre. The aim of this study was to analyze the use of active phoned search as an instrument for the diagnosis of SSIs and TEs in the late postoperative period of plastic surgeries, considering the difficulties in implementing phoned search and the scarcity of scientific findings on the use of this method for epidemiological surveillance. This study aims to provide support for the development of more consistent phoned search mechanisms for monitoring the above postoperative events

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion