Study Identifies Characteristics of Hospitals With Low SSI Rates

"Most hospitals have been employing basic SSI prevention techniques for decades. In order to make a real impact on reducing the incidence of these infections, the standard procedures need to be complemented by strategies that reduce the length of operations and the frequency of blood transfusion," said lead study author Darrell A. Campbell Jr., MD, FACS, professor of surgery at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Data showed that hospitals that were substantially more involved with training young surgeons had operations with longer durations. In the article in the December issue of JACS, researchers called for further studies to explore the link between higher transfusion rates in higher SSI incidence hospitals and commented that the practice of reducing operating room traffic also deserves more research. Overall, results of the study showed that hospitals with low SSI incidence rates were smaller, more efficient in the delivery of care, and experienced little operative staff turnover.

Source: American College of Surgeons