Healthcare-associated infections: readmission rates
Indicator
Readmission rates for surgical site infections within 30 days of discharge from surgery.
Indicator type
Network / system level indicator.
The indicator would be appropriate to understand and report on the performance of networks or systems of providers.
This document does not represent formal NICE guidance. For a full list of NICE indicators, see our menu of indicators.
To find out how to use indicators and how we develop them, see our NICE indicator process guide.
Rationale
Surgical site infections are associated with considerable morbidity. Many of these infections take time to develop and may not become apparent until after the patient has been discharged from hospital – a problem exacerbated by the increasing trend towards shorter postoperative hospital stays and day surgery. In some cases this leads to readmission to hospital. This indicator aims to identify readmission rates for surgical site infections to aid local response to healthcare-associated infections.
Source guidance
Healthcare-associated infections: prevention and control. NICE guideline PH36 (2011), quality improvement statement 3 and evidence of achievement 6
Specification
Numerator: The number of admissions in the denominator with a record of a readmission within 30 days of discharge, with a primary diagnosis of surgical site infection.
Denominator: The number of admissions to hospital where a surgical procedure is performed.
Calculation: Numerator divided by the denominator, multiplied by 100.
Exclusions: None.
Data source: Hospital episode statistics (HES) admitted patient care (APC).
Minimum population: The indicator would be appropriate to understand and report on the performance of networks or systems of providers.
ISBN: 978-1-4731-5551-0