[Responsibility of surgeons for surgical site infections]

Area of Science:

• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Hospital-Acquired Infections
• Surgical Safety

Background:

• Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a significant concern, often attributed solely to surgical practices.
• Microbial sources of SSIs can be endogenous (patient's own flora) or exogenous (external environment).
• Current prevention strategies often overemphasize the surgeon's role, overlooking other contributing factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of a comprehensive surveillance system on SSI rates.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary approach to SSI prevention.
• To identify factors influencing SSI reduction in surgical departments.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a multicenter surveillance study involving 130 operative departments.
• Collected data over at least 4 years within the German National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance System.
• Analyzed infection rates to compare outcomes between the first and third years of participation.

Main Results:

• A significant 25% reduction in SSI rates was observed by the third year of surveillance compared to the first year.
• The findings indicate that SSI reduction is achievable through systematic monitoring and intervention.
• Surgeon-centric prevention alone was insufficient to achieve substantial decreases in infection rates.

Conclusions:

• Effective prevention of surgical site infections necessitates a collaborative, team-based strategy.
• Multicenter surveillance systems play a crucial role in monitoring and reducing SSIs.
• A shift from surgeon-focused to team-oriented prevention is essential for improving patient safety.