Although the Surgical Care Improvement Program includes measures aimed at the prevention of surgical site infections, complying with those measures may not necessarily improve outcomes, according to research presented at the annual American Surgical Association meeting and reported in Internal Medicine News.
SCIP was initiated in 2003 by CMS and CDC with the goal of reducing morbidity and mortality stemming from surgical site infections. Researchers conducted a retrospective study of more than 60,000 procedures at VA hospitals from 2005-2009. They assessed the impact of SCIP on surgical site infection within 30 days of surgery and adherence to SCIP prevention measures: timely administration of a prophylactic antibiotic, timely discontinuation of the antibiotic, appropriate antibiotic coverage, hair removal and normothermia for colon procedures.
Over the five-year study period, a multivariate logistic regression analysis showed no significant link between SCIP adherence and surgical site infection rates. Overall, surgical site infection rates sat at 6.2 percent and did not vary over the study period.
Read the news report about SCIP prevention measures for surgical site infections.
Read other coverage about surgical site infections:
- Postoperative Probe Reduces Risk of Surgical Site Infections
- HHS to Invest Up to $1B for New Patient Safety Initiative
- Anesthesiologists Say Research on Hyperglycemia and SSI "Not Ready for Prime Time"
SCIP was initiated in 2003 by CMS and CDC with the goal of reducing morbidity and mortality stemming from surgical site infections. Researchers conducted a retrospective study of more than 60,000 procedures at VA hospitals from 2005-2009. They assessed the impact of SCIP on surgical site infection within 30 days of surgery and adherence to SCIP prevention measures: timely administration of a prophylactic antibiotic, timely discontinuation of the antibiotic, appropriate antibiotic coverage, hair removal and normothermia for colon procedures.
Over the five-year study period, a multivariate logistic regression analysis showed no significant link between SCIP adherence and surgical site infection rates. Overall, surgical site infection rates sat at 6.2 percent and did not vary over the study period.
Read the news report about SCIP prevention measures for surgical site infections.
Read other coverage about surgical site infections:
- Postoperative Probe Reduces Risk of Surgical Site Infections
- HHS to Invest Up to $1B for New Patient Safety Initiative
- Anesthesiologists Say Research on Hyperglycemia and SSI "Not Ready for Prime Time"