Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP)

Overview

Postoperative infection is a major cause of patient injury, mortality and healthcare cost. An estimated 2.6% of nearly 30 million operations are complicated by surgical site infections each year. In Arkansas, of the 5,088 cases reviewed in 2001, 132 surgical site infections resulted. Each infection is estimated to increase a hospital stay by an average of 7 days and to add to over $3,000 in charges (1992 data). This project’s goal is to improve the selection and timing of prophylactic antibiotic administration. Surgical procedures studied in this project are coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), cardiac, colon, hip and knee arthroplasty, abdominal and vaginal hysterectomy, and selected vascular surgery procedures.

Indicators

• Proportion of patients who receive antibiotics within 1 hour before surgical incision.
• Proportion of patients who receive prophylactic antibiotics consistent with current recommendations.
• Proportion of patients whose prophylactic antibiotics were discontinued within 24 hours of surgery end time.
• Cardiac surgery patients with controlled 6 am postoperative serum glucose
• Surgery patients with appropriate hair removal
• Colorectal surgery patients with immediate postoperative normothermia

2008 Calendar - SCIP Clinical Guideline Reminder

Specifications manual (QualityNet Website)