On checking the literature we found that this was about average, but we felt that we could do better than just average. So we used the idea of a care bundle which means we bundled up all the things we could do that are proven to reduce wound infections ... and we did all them on all patients.
And we used a simple checklist to ensure we remembered to. We then continued to measure our post-op wound infection rate ... and guess what ... it dropped to nearly zero!
So we are continuing to use our SSI bundle because it works, and it is easily achievable, and it means we are now delivering an well above average service not an average one.
For the full write up of the method, results and statistical analysis please see: http://www.improvementscience.net/jois/jois_view_abstract.php?paperid=25
Mr Simon Dodds MA,MS,FRCS Consultant Surgeon Good Hope Hospital The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield West Midlands