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Surgical patients' safety in the polish hospital environment in the context of selected infection control practices in surgical wards

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) still continue to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality despite the improvement in methods for infection control as well as surgical practices. The aim of this work is the presentation and analysis of SSI control practices in selected surgical wards in Poland as compared to other European countries. Methodology: The presented data were obtained using a standardised questionnaire within a European project devoted to describing and analysing the surveillance of nosocomial infections in individual European countries. Results: In all studied wards, written procedures of SSI prevention were present, as well as obligatory training of ward personnel concerning infection control. Alcohol-based hand rub dispensers were available in over 75% points of care in most wards, as opposed to belt/pocket bottles, which were available for a small number of ward personnel. Alcohol solutions were most often used for skin preparation. Shaving immediately before operations was the most common way of hair removal. A WHO checklist was used in 20% of the studied wards. Conclusions: Based on the results of the study, the organisation of surveillance infections in Polish surgical wards appears to be satisfactory. However, practical implementation of SSI prophylaxis calls for significant alterations, both in terms of executing training and implementing practices in the wards or the operating room. On the one hand, due to a lack of multicentre studies on the epidemiology of SSI in Polish surgical wards, actual exposure to SSI cannot be assessed.