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Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP)

How Do We Compare?

What is the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP)?

Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP)
- Quality Measures
Measure: Memorial
Results
Jan-Mar 2008 (Actual/Total)		 Colorado
Average
Jan-Dec 2007‡		 National
Average
Jan-Dec 2007‡‡		 Top 10% National Minimum Score
Jan-Mar 2007†
Received antibiotics within one hour prior to the surgical incision being made Above national average performance
98.2%
(164/167)		 84% 89% 97%
Received appropriate prophylactic antibiotics At or near national average performance
95.9%
(164/171)		 95% 95% 99%
Received last preventive antibiotic doses within 24 hours of surgery Above national average performance
98.8%
(163/167)		 88% 85% 97%

KEY:

(‡) This is the most current data available for average Colorado hospital quality performance according to the Joint Commission.
(‡‡) This is the most current data available for average national hospital quality performance according to the Joint Commission.
(†) This is the most current data available for the minimum quality performance score of any national top 10% hospital according to the Joint Commission.

NOTE: Memorial results are highlighted in the blue column of data and annotated with one of the following quality indicators:

Achieved the best possible results = Achieved the best possible results
 = Above national average performance
At or near national average performance = At or near national average performance
null = Below national average performance

 

What is the surgical care improvement project (SCIP) and why is it important?

The Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) is a national quality partnership of organizations interested in improving surgical care by significantly reducing surgical complications. It is a unique partnership that promises to be a transformational undertaking in health care.

Memorial Health System is a participating partner in SCIP, and we believe that a meaningful reduction in surgical complications depends on surgeons, anesthesiologists, perioperative nurses, pharmacists, infection control professionals, and hospital executives working together to intensify their commitment to making surgical care improvement a priority.

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What is pre-operative antibiotic timing and why is it important?

Surgical site infections affect approximately 500,000 persons per year according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report. Numerous factors such as age and general health status of persons undergoing surgery can affect rates of infection at any given hospital.

For decades antibiotics have been given prior to surgery to reduce the risk of surgical site infection. Research exploring the practice of giving pre-operative antibiotics appeared in The American Journal of Surgery (June, 1996; 171: 548-552) and demonstrated the importance of antibiotic timing for prevention (prophylaxis) of surgical infections.

According to The Joint Commission's Surgical Infection Prevention Core Performance Measures, patients undergoing surgical procedures such as heart, hip, colon, and vascular surgeries should receive an antibiotic within one hour prior to the incision being made to prevent surgical site infection.

While the ideal timing of antibiotic administration for every surgical procedure has not been studied, the one-hour timing for antibiotics is recommended by the National Surgical Infection Prevention Project team as the standard for surgical procedures that require preventive antibiotic therapy.

Because there are numerous drug-resistant bacteria today, it is important to use antibiotics sparingly. The goal for antibiotic use with surgical procedures is to prevent surgical site infections and thereby reduce overall antibiotic use.

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What are prophylactic antibiotics and why are they important?

The term "prophylactic" basically means "preventative." Certain antibiotics are recommended to help prevent wound infection for particular types of surgery.

Infections continue to be the main preventable complication of most surgical procedures. Antibiotics are medicines to prevent and treat infections. By following the standard guidelines for timing and giving you the correct antibiotic drug, hospitals can reduce your risk of getting a wound infection after surgery.

The risk of wound infection after surgery is reduced by making sure patients get the right medicines at the right time on the day of their surgery.

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What is post-operative antibiotic timing and why is it important?

Adequate levels of antibiotic medication must be maintained in the body during and immediately after high-risk (for infection) surgeries to prevent surgical site infection. However, antibiotics given to prevent infection should be discontinued after 24 hours according to an advisory statement in The American Journal of Surgery (April, 2005; 189(4): 395-404).

If antibiotics are continued past 24 hours, normal, healthy bacteria in the body may be destroyed, which can lead to the over-growth of unhealthy microorganisms (harmful bacteria and yeast) and super infection (a new infection that may not respond to antibiotics). However, antibiotics may need to be continued for certain individuals, such as those with weakened immune systems or with signs of existing infection.

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RELATED INFORMATION:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
www.cdc.gov

Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)
www.idsociety.org

The Joint Commission
www.jointcommission.org

National Surgical Infection Prevention Project (NSIP)
http://acsnsqip.org

Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
http://ihi.org

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
www.ahrq.gov

American Medical Association (AMA)
www.ama-assn.org

Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN)
www.aorn.org

Centers for Medical and Medicaid Services (CMS)
www.cms.hhs.gov

National Institutes of Health (NIH)
www.nih.gov

National Quality Forum (NQF)
www.qualityforum.org

 

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