Consistent High Quality: Inpatient Quality:
Delivering Recommended Care to Prevent Surgical Infections
What are we measuring and why?
To measure how well we meet the Joint Commission’s* recommendations for reducing the risk of surgical infections, we track our ability to comply with three important guidelines. These include:
- Using the appropriate type of antibiotics to prevent surgical infection
- Giving the antibiotics at the right time
- Stopping the antibiotics when they are no longer needed.
How are we doing and how do we compare to best practice?
On average, our providers adhere to the Joint Commission’s best practices for infection prevention 96% of the time, equal to the Massachusetts state 50th percentile of 96%.** Partners has made improving Surgical Infection Prevention programs a priority.
What are we doing to improve?
Experts in surgical care and infection control at Partners Healthcare have reviewed the guidelines for which patients should receive preventive antibiotics, when in relation to the operation they should be given, and for how long the patient should continue receiving them after surgery. Teams have worked out systems to coordinate efforts between groups of caregivers. Some of our hospitals use electronic order sets to help standardize the approach. Such systems help make sure that each patient gets the safest surgical care possible.
* The Joint Commission is the nation’s leading organization dedicated to healthcare quality in hospitals. It has created National Hospital Quality Measures in many areas. These are practices proven to ensure the best possible outcomes for patients.
** The Joint Commission, average score for hospitals in Massachusetts.
Charts for Delivering Recommended Care to Prevent Surgical Infections
- Current Scores
- Scores Over Time
- Current Scores
- Scores Over Time
Percent of Patients Receiving Recommended Care to Prevent Surgical Infection
Partners HealthCare Data Period: October - December 2008
Partners HealthCare Source: Partners HealthCare High Performance Medicine
Reference Point Source: The Joint Commission Massachusetts 50th Percentile, October 2007 through September 2008
Percent of Patients Receiving Recommended Care to Prevent Surgical Infection
Partners HealthCare Source: Partners HealthCare High Performance Medicine
Reference Point Source: The Joint Commission Massachusetts 50th Percentile, October 2007 through September 2008
Percent of Patients Receiving Recommended Care to Prevent Surgical Infection
Partners HealthCare Data Period: October - December 2008
Partners HealthCare Source: Partners HealthCare High Performance Medicine
Reference Point Source: The Joint Commission Massachusetts 50th Percentile, October 2007 through September 2008
Percent of Patients Receiving Recommended Care to Prevent Surgical Infection
Partners HealthCare Source: Partners HealthCare High Performance Medicine