Surgical Site Infection (SSI)

A surgical site infection (SSI) occurs at the site of a surgical incision (cut). Germs can sometimes get into the incision and cause an infection. An infection can occur any time after surgery but most commonly develops shortly afterward, usually within 30 days of an operation. Sometimes infections can occur much later, especially if an implant (such as a joint replacement, for example) is used.

SSIs are among the most common healthcare-associated infections. SSIs can be minor, but occasionally they can result in a longer length of stay in the hospital or can lead to readmission to hospital. As a patient, you can help reduce your chance of infection by following all of the pre-operative instructions given to you by your surgeon and health-care team and by not shaving the area where the incision will be made.

For some operations, such as joint replacements, giving an antibiotic just before surgery is one of the best ways to reduce the risk of infection. This indicator ensures that one of the most important steps in preventing SSIs is being used – i.e., ensuring that antibiotics are administered at the right time, just before a hip or knee joint replacement surgery.

All hospitals that perform hip and/or knee joint replacement surgery must publicly report the SSI Prevention indicator data. These Ontario hospitals are posting their quarterly SSI Prevention percentages for their facility, using the following formula:

The rate is calculated as follows:
Number of hip/knee joint replacement surgery patients who received antibiotics within the appropriate time
Total number of patients during the reporting period who had a primary knee/hip joint replacement