Hōtaka whakapai wāhi hāparapara
Surgical site infections (SSIs) can cause emotional and financial stress, serious illness, longer hospital stays, long-term disabilities and even the loss of life. The good news is that a significant number of SSIs are preventable.
The Commission’s Surgical Site Infection Improvement Programme has developed and implemented a consistent, evidence-based approach for collecting and reporting high quality data about SSIs for orthopedic (hip and knee) and cardiac surgery.
The programme promotes and encourages culture change and provides guidance on practice improvements that reduce SSIs. Information about these areas is available below.
- Surgical skin antisepsis preparation
- SSII Programme cardiac surgery implementation manual
- SSII Programme orthopaedic implementation guide
- National periprosthetic joint infection sampling and culture guide
- Surgical site infection (SSI) investigation tool
- Anti-staphylococcal bundle to reduce SSI
- Light surveillance
- Surgical Site Infection Improvement Programme case studies
- Video: Surveying surgical site infections
- Instructions for reviewing and correcting Surgical Site Infection Improvement Programme (SSIIP) data in National Monitor
Presentations from the Surgical Site Infection Improvement Programme champions meetings
- Surgical Helmet Systems Are Associated With a Lower Rate of Prosthetic Joint Infection After Total Knee Arthroplasty (2022)
- Risk factors differ for Gram-negative surgical site infection following hip and knee arthroplasty (2022)
- Surgical site infection rate is higher following hip and knee arthroplasty when cefazolin is underdosed (2020)
- Getting surgical antibiotic prophylaxis right, lessons from the National Orthopaedic Surgical Site Infection Improvement Programme: a call for action (2019)
- The New Zealand Surgical Site Infection Improvement (SSII) Programme: a national quality improvement programme reducing orthopaedic surgical site infections (2018)
- BMI is a key risk factor for early periprosthetic joint infection following total hip and knee arthroplasty (2017)
- Evaluation of the surgical site infection improvement programme (2018)
- Systematic review of surgical site infections in cardiac and orthopaedic surgery (2016)
Data
- SSII national cardiac dashboard
- SSII national orthopaedic dashboard
- SSII Programme data collection forms
- SSI orthopaedic monitoring tool - variable life-adjusted display (VLAD) report
Guidance
- Surgical skin antisepsis preparation
- SSII Programme cardiac surgery implementation manual
- SSII Programme orthopaedic implementation guide
- National periprosthetic joint infection sampling and culture guide
- Surgical site infection (SSI) investigation tool
- Anti-staphylococcal bundle to reduce SSI
- Light surveillance
- Surgical Site Infection Improvement Programme case studies
- Video: Surveying surgical site infections
- Instructions for reviewing and correcting Surgical Site Infection Improvement Programme (SSIIP) data in National Monitor
Patient stories and resources
- Surgical site infection patient story: Ian Collis
- Patient narratives of surgical site infection: implications for practice (External link, The Journal of Hospital Infections)
- Video: Stay safe from infection
- Patient brochure: Preventing infection after surgery (1.3MB, pdf)
Resources
- Surgical Site Infection Improvement Programme information sheet
- Surgical Site Infection Improvement Programme frequently asked questions
Videos
Webinars
Presentations from the Surgical Site Infection Improvement Programme champions meetings
Reports and publications
- Surgical Helmet Systems Are Associated With a Lower Rate of Prosthetic Joint Infection After Total Knee Arthroplasty (2022)
- Risk factors differ for Gram-negative surgical site infection following hip and knee arthroplasty (2022)
- Surgical site infection rate is higher following hip and knee arthroplasty when cefazolin is underdosed (2020)
- Getting surgical antibiotic prophylaxis right, lessons from the National Orthopaedic Surgical Site Infection Improvement Programme: a call for action (2019)
- The New Zealand Surgical Site Infection Improvement (SSII) Programme: a national quality improvement programme reducing orthopaedic surgical site infections (2018)
- BMI is a key risk factor for early periprosthetic joint infection following total hip and knee arthroplasty (2017)
- Evaluation of the surgical site infection improvement programme (2018)
- Systematic review of surgical site infections in cardiac and orthopaedic surgery (2016)
Last updated: 8th November, 2022
