Report Card on Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP): Nationwide Inpatient Sample Infection Data 2001-2006

Background: The administration of appropriate antibiotics in a timely fashion with discontinuation post-operatively is the first of the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) initiatives and was expected to reduce post-operative infections significantly. This study aimed at determining whether SCIP has had an effect on surgical site infections (SSIs). Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted to evaluate the infection rates of adult patients (age >= 18 years) having elective cholecystectomies, laparoscopic cholecystectomies, and colectomies from 2001-2006 using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. The population consisted of all patients older than 18 years who had colon resection or cholecystectomy and were discharged from a hospital included in the NIS. Annual infection rates were determined for each of the operations. Results: Post-operative infections rose steadily and significantly (p < 0.0001) in colon surgery from 2001 to 2006. A significant increase in SSIs also was seen in open (p = 0.0001) and laparoscopic (p < 0.0001) cholecystectomy from 2001 to 2006. Length of stay was significantly longer in infected than in non-infected patients. Conclusion: The factors that contributed to the observed increase in the infection rate should be identified to improve the SCIP initiatives.