[Difficulties in continuous computer-assisted registration of postoperative wound infections]

To improve the frequency of primary registration and reduce the time spent on continuous registration of postoperative wound infections by electronic data processing (EDP), we analysed the failures made during a two year period, where and by whom they were made. 16.9% of the operations and 0.4% of the infections had not been registered primarily, and all involved groups had made mistakes, but the surgeons were responsible for 69.2% of the missing registrations. This study shows that reliable registration of infections requires frequent instruction of all groups, especially the surgeons, frequent reports of infections in the ward and for each surgeon, and that the registrations are continuously controlled and at the end of year.