Recovering from surgery is hard. Recovering from surgery with an SSI is even harder. 

When germs enter an area where surgery was performed, patients can develop a surgical site infection (SSI). SSIs can involve the skin, tissues under the skin, organs or implanted material. 

Between 160,000 and 300,000 patients will develop SSIs nationwide every year. As the most common and expensive nosocomial infection in the U.S., it is important for Indiana hospitals to be prepared to address SSIs as they occur and prevent them from ever happening in the first place. 

SSIs in Indiana remain far below the national baseline.

As a result of a concerted effort to reduce infections of all kinds, Indiana has experienced modest success when it comes to SSIs. According to the CDC’s Healthcare-Associated Infections Report, Indiana’s statewide standardized infection ratio is 30 percent below the national baseline for SSIs. As a core topic of the HRET HIIN, IHA's Indiana Patient Safety Center hopes to continue to drive down the rate of SSIs in Indiana by hosting topic-specific webinars, coaching calls and other tools with members. 

»   Find out more about SSIs here.