Surgical site infection as a surrogate marker of physician impairment.
Our report details an implant-associated outbreak of surgical site infections related to the adverse effects of treatment for hepatitis C virus infection administered to surgeon X. During the 12-month period of this outbreak, 14 (9.5%) of 148 of surgeon X's patients developed a surgical site infection, a rate of SSI that was 8-fold higher than the rate during the 14-month baseline period or the 14-month follow-up period (P = .001), and higher than the rate among peer surgeons (P = .02).
Department of Infection Control, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. sherertz@wfubmc.edu
Robert J
RJ
Sherertz
Tobi B
TB
Karchmer
D002983:Clinical Competence; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010815:Physician Impairment; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000009:adverse effects; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D013997:Time Factors
D016898:Interferon-alpha