title: Improving awareness of best practices to reduce surgical site infection: a multistakeholder approach.
abstract: Surgical site infection (SSI) is recognized as a focus area by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Joint Commission, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and the Institute of Medicine. An estimated 47% to 84% of SSIs present after discharge from the hospital or ambulatory care facility and, as a result, go undetected by standard SSI surveillance programs. Evidence-based processes and practices that are known to reduce the incidence of SSIs tend to be underused in routine practice. This article describes a multistakeholder process used to develop an educational initiative to raise awareness of best practices to reduce SSIs. The goal was to create a patient-centric educational initiative that involved an active partnership among all stakeholders-medical professional organizations, hospitals/health systems, health insurers, employers and other purchasers, and consumers/patients-to provide the climate necessary to create and sustain a culture of safety.
authors.affiliation: Jefferson School of Population Health, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. alexis.skoufalos@jefferson.edu
authors.forename: Alexandria
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Skoufalos
authors.forename: Janice L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Napp
authors.forename: Kenneth J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Abrams
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Armellino
authors.forename: Mary Ellen
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Schilling
authors.forename: Valerie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pracilio
mesh_terms: D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods; D061214:Patient Safety; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000379:methods; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*