Surgical Site Infection (SSI)

Why This Measure is Important

A surgical site infection (SSI) is an infection that occurs after surgery in the part of the body where surgery took place.
Surgical site infections can sometimes be superficial infections involving the skin only. Other surgical site infections are more serious and can involve tissues under the skin, organs, or implanted material.
Surgical site infections may lead to other complications for patients, such as extended hospital stays, greater likelihood of spending time in an intensive care unit (ICU), and a greater chance of being readmitted to the hospital. These complications expose patients to additional hardships and increased costs.
Research has shown that proper administration of antibiotics can help prevent infections.

Make sure that all healthcare providers clean their hands before examining your child, either with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.
Family and friends who visit your child should not touch the surgical wounds or dressings.
All visitors should clean their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub before and after visiting your child.

The percentage of surgical site infections associated with all pediatric surgical procedures.
Our goal is to maintain infection rates lower than the national benchmark, ultimately driving towards zero.

Consistently use a set of best practices, called bundles, to minimize the risk of these infections.
Involve parents and caregivers in the prevention processes. For example, for surgeries with a high risk of infections, parents are asked to wash the child with an antibacterial product.
Participate in Solutions for Patient Safety, a national improvement collaborative focused on eliminating all patient harm by sharing ideas, data, and best practices among United States children’s hospitals.
Review all cases of SSI to identify opportunities for improvement.