Results from a new study suggests that once an adequate number of SSI cases resulting from colon surgery had been reported, the rates of SSI were a reliable measure of hospital quality of care, according to an AHRQ publication.
For their study, the researchers examined the records of 18,455 patients who underwent colon resection at 181 hospitals that participated in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Risk-adjusted rates of SSI were determined based on a variety of patient risk factors. On average, each hospital performed 102 colon resections in 2007.
Results from their study showed SSI rates (adjusted for patient risk factors for infection) ranged from 0 to 30 percent, with a mean of 10.5 percent. More than half (54 percent) of the hospitals had a reliability of more than 0.70, considered a minimum acceptable level. This was based on having at least 94 SSI cases at a given hospital. According to the researchers, additional methods are needed to increase the reliability of these measured outcomes.
For their study, the researchers examined the records of 18,455 patients who underwent colon resection at 181 hospitals that participated in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program. Risk-adjusted rates of SSI were determined based on a variety of patient risk factors. On average, each hospital performed 102 colon resections in 2007.
Results from their study showed SSI rates (adjusted for patient risk factors for infection) ranged from 0 to 30 percent, with a mean of 10.5 percent. More than half (54 percent) of the hospitals had a reliability of more than 0.70, considered a minimum acceptable level. This was based on having at least 94 SSI cases at a given hospital. According to the researchers, additional methods are needed to increase the reliability of these measured outcomes.
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