Raising the profile of surgical site infection

Quality Improvement for Surgical Teams (QIST) recently took place at The Marriott Gosforth Park Hotel, Newcastle. High on the agenda was the need for healthcare organisations to improve surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance and for healthcare workers to fully understand the impact of SSI on patients and their families. LOUISE FRAMPTON reports.

The Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is one of the country’s top performing Foundation Trusts, looking after the wellbeing of around half a million people across Northumberland and North Tyneside – one of the largest geographical areas of any NHS Trust in England. Each year, the organisation hosts a two-day educational conference, Quality Improvement for Surgical Teams (QIST), aimed at orthopaedic surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, managers, commissioners, pharmacists and allied health professionals, who are seeking to share best practice and strategies for improving patient outcomes. 

In the January 2016 edition, The Clinical Services Journal provided an insight into some highlights from the first day, focusing on quality improvement in orthopaedic surgery. In this latest issue, we cover some of the highlights from the second day of the conference, which included discussion of strategies for the prevention of surgical site infection (SSI), the impact of SSIs on the patient, as well as current guidance.