Surgical Site Infection Surveillance Service

Knowing you have to come into hospital for surgery can make you feel quite anxious.  You may immediately have questions you want to ask to help you understand what is going to happen and allay any fears you might have. One of those questions might be about the risk of catching an infection whilst you are in hospital. Helping you feel confident about how we prevent infections is therefore very important.   

The staff on our wards and in the operating theatres make every effort to prevent the spread of infections. Unfortunately, on rare occasions they can occur, but we have clear guidelines and processes in place to manage infections when they do occur.

A Surgical Site Wound Infection is an infection picked up after a cut to the skin has been made during an operation.  The most effective prevention method for these types of infections is surveillance. Surveillance is the observation of hospital acquired infections amongst patients and staff, and of the conditions that increase or decrease the risk of acquiring such infections. 

University Hospital works in partnership with the Health Protection Agency and operates a Surgical Site Infection Surveillance Service (SSISS) to monitor the risk of, and occurrence of infection. The specific types of surgical procedure where infection is most likely to occur are monitored.

Studying this data helps us to learn more about what additional measures we need to take in order to further ensure your safety and good health.

The Surgical Site Infection Surveillance Service includes the following:

• An infection control nurse visiting a patient and completing a data sheet, which gathers details about the type of procedure the patient has undergone and the condition of the wound. 

• Once they have got the basic information they need, they will visit the patient approximately three times a week, monitoring their progress.

• Certain criteria have to be fulfilled in order for the infection control nurse to identify an infection.

• If these criteria are fulfilled, the infection control nurse will write to the surgeon involved and inform them they believe the patient has developed an infection.

• The appropriate steps are then taken to effectively treat the infection.
   

Screening

Emergency admissions

University Hospital was one of the first to introduce MRSA screening of all patients admitted through the Emergency Care Centre last year, as screening is an effective way to help reduce the occurrence and spread of infection. 

Elective admissions

As of 1 April 2009 all patients aged 16 years or over requiring elective admission to hospital for an operation or treatment are now screened for MRSA carriage prior to admission. Patients receive information about the screening process with their pre-operative assessment appointment letter.