Abstract

A one-year prospective study of surgeon-specific nosocomial infection rates was done in two community hospitals. Hospital A (93 beds) and Hospital B (158 beds) have nearly identical surgical staffs. Unified criteria for the diagnosis of infections, methods of data collection, and coding were used. Data were processed with an IBM 370 computer using Statistical Analysis System (SAS). Each surgeon received semiannual reports of 1) overall infection rate by site, 2) number of surgical wound infections by wound class and type of procedure, 3) pathogens for each deep and incisional infection, and 4) quarterly wound infection rates by wound class. Analysis of reports revealed high Class I surgical wound infection rates for both general and orthopedic surgeons. One person in each group had inordinately high infection rates. These data serve as an objective incentive to reduce surgical wound infections, identify individual problems, and suggest surgical privileges be evaluated by performance.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.