Surgical site infection prevention
(SSI Prevention)

archived monthly rates

About this patient safety indicator:
Effective April 30, 2009, hospitals were required by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to report publicly on their surgical site infection (SSI) prevention percentages.

The SSI prevention percentage refers only to the use of antibiotics that help prevent surgical site infections from occurring in hip and knee joint replacement surgeries – that is, the percentage of hip/knee replacement surgical patients that received prophylactic antibiotic within the appropriate time prior to surgery. Hospitals are not reporting actual surgical site infections.

St. Joseph’s Health Care, London has posted these rates to its public website, and will continue to update these on a quarterly basis. Public reporting of SSI prevention rates is another helpful measure to ensure the care provided to our patients is even safer and is continually improving. St. Joseph’s strongly supports the provincial government’s new public reporting regime because we believe it will inspire improved performance, enhance patient safety, and strengthen the public’s confidence in Ontario’s hospitals.

How are the rates calculated?
[(# of hip/knee joint replacement surgeries who received usual antibiotics within 60 minutes of skin incision + # of hip/knee join replacement surgeries who received vanomycin within 120 minutes of skin incision)
÷
(total # of patients during the reporting period who had a primary hip/knee joint replacement surgical procedure)]

x100

= percantage of hip/knee surgical patients who received "on-time" prophylactic antibiotics

What is a Surgical Site Infection?
A surgical site infection (SSI) occurs at the site of a surgical incision. Germs can get into the incision area, and cause an infection. Infections can be minor, or occasionally they can increase complications that result in a longer length of stay in the hospital.

How do patients get a surgical site infection?
There are various factors that could put a patient at risk of an SSI. For example, patients that have poor circulation or certain medical conditions have an increased risk of infection. Our hospital is committed to keeping our patients as safe as possible from infection. We have incorporated many best practices to reduce our surgical site infections.

How will surgical site infections be reduced through SSI prevention reporting?
The goal of SSI prevention is to ensure one of the most important steps in preventing an SSI is being used. It means administering antibiotics at a certain time just before a hip or knee joint replacement surgery.