Surgical Care Improvement Project

Outpatients Having Surgery who got an Antibiotic at the Right Time - Within One Hour Before Surgery

(Higher numbers are better)

(Data collected from 1/1/2011 to 12/31/2011)

Abington Memorial Hospital
 95%

Top hospitals achieved a 100% rate.

What It Is and Why It Is Important

• Hospitals can prevent surgical wound infections. Medical research shows that surgery patients who get antibiotics within the hour before their surgery are less likely to get wound infections.
• The timing is important: getting an antibiotic earlier, or after surgery begins, is not as effective. Hospital staff should make sure patients get antibiotics at the right time.

Higher percentages are better.

Surgery Patients Who were given an Antibiotic at the Right Time (Within One Hour Before Surgery) to Help Prevent Infection

(Data collected from 1/1/2011 to 12/31/2011)

Abington Memorial Hospital
 96%

Top hospitals achieved a 100% rate.

What It Is and Why It Is Important

• Surgical wound infections can be prevented. Medical research shows that surgery patients who get antibiotics within the hour before their surgery are less likely to get wound infections.
• Getting an antibiotic earlier, or after surgery begins, is not as effective. Hospital staff should make sure surgery patients get antibiotics at the right time.

Higher percentages are better.

Surgery Patients Whose Preventive Antibiotics were Stopped at the Right Time (Within 24 Hours After Surgery)

(Data collected from 1/1/2011 to 12/31/2011)

Top hospitals achieved a 100% rate.

What It Is and Why It Is Important

• Antibiotics are often given to patients before surgery to prevent infection.
• Taking these antibiotics for more than 24 hours after routine surgery is usually not necessary. Continuing the medication longer than necessary can increase the risk of side effects such as stomach aches and serious types of diarrhea. Also, when antibiotics are used for too long, patients can develop resistance to them and the antibiotics won't work as well.

Higher percentages are better.

Patients Who got Treatment at the Right Time (Within 24 Hours Before or After Their Surgery) to Help Prevent Blood Clots After Certain Types of Surgery

(Data collected from 1/1/2011 to 12/31/2011)

Top hospitals achieved a 100% rate.

What It Is and Why It Is Important

• Many factors influence a surgery patient's risk of developing a blood clot, including the type of surgery. When patients stay still for a long time after some types of surgery, they are more likely to develop a blood clot in the veins of the legs, thighs, or pelvis. A blood clot slows down the flow of blood, causing swelling, redness, and pain. A blood clot can also break off and travel to other parts of the body. If the blood clot gets into the lung, it is a serious problem that can sometimes cause death.
• Treatments to help prevent blood clots from forming after surgery include blood-thinning medications, elastic support stockings, or mechanical air stockings that help with blood flow in the legs. These treatments need to be started at the right time, which is typically during the period that begins 24 hours before surgery and ends 24 hours after surgery.

Higher percentages are better.

Outpatients having Surgery Who got the Right Kind of Antibiotic

(Data collected from 1/1/2011 to 12/31/2011)

Abington Memorial Hospital
 94%

Top hospitals achieved a 100% rate.

What It Is and Why It Is Important

• Hospitals can prevent surgical wound infections. Medical research has shown that certain antibiotics work better to prevent wound infections for certain types of surgery.
• Hospital staff should make sure patients get the antibiotic that works best for their type of surgery.

Higher percentages are better.

Surgery Patients Who were Taking Heart Drugs called Beta Blockers Before Coming to the Hospital, Who were Kept on the Beta Blockers during the Period just Before and After their Surgery

(Data collected from 1/1/2011 to 12/31/2011)

Abington Memorial Hospital
95%

Top hospitals achieved a 100% rate.

What It Is and Why It Is Important

• It is often standard procedure to stop patients' usual medications for a while before and after their surgery. But if patients who have been taking beta blockers suddenly stop taking them, they can have heart problems such as a fast heartbeat. For these patients, staying on beta blockers before and after surgery makes it less likely that they will have heart problems.

Higher percentages are better.

Surgery Patients Who were Given the Right Kind of Antibiotic to Help Prevent Infection

(Data collected from 1/1/2011 to 12/31/2011)

Top hospitals achieved a 100% rate.

What It Is and Why It Is Important

• Surgical wound infections can be prevented. Medical research has shown that certain antibiotics work better to prevent wound infections for certain types of surgery.
• Hospital staff should make sure patients get the antibiotic that works best for their type of surgery.

Higher percentages are better.

Heart Surgery Patients Whose Blood Sugar (Blood Glucose) is Kept Under Good Control in the Days Right after Surgery

(Data collected from 1/1/2011 to 12/31/2011)

Top hospitals achieved a 100% rate.

What It Is and Why It Is Important

• Even if heart surgery patients do not have diabetes, keeping their blood sugar under good control after surgery lowers the risk of infection and other problems.
• "Under good control" means their blood sugar should be 200 mg/dL or less when checked first thing in the morning.

Higher percentages are better.

Surgery Patients Needing Hair Removed from the Surgical Area Before Surgery, who had Hair Removed Using a Safer Method (Eelectric Clippers or Hair Removal Cream – Not a Razor)

(Data collected from 1/1/2011 to 12/31/2011)

Top hospitals achieved a 100% rate.

What It Is and Why It Is Important

• Preparing a patient for surgery may include removing body hair from skin in the area where the surgery will be done.
• Medical research has shown that shaving with a razor can increase the risk of infection. It is safer to use electric clippers or hair removal cream.

Higher percentages are better.

Surgery Patients Whose Urinary Catheters were Removed on the First or Second Day after Surgery

(Data collected from 1/1/2011 to 12/31/2011)

Top hospitals achieved a 100% rate.

What It Is and Why It Is Important

• Sometimes surgical patients need to have a urinary catheter, or thin tube, inserted into their bladder to help drain the urine. Catheters are usually attached to a bag that collects the urine.
• Surgery patients can develop infections when urinary catheters are left in place too long after surgery. Infections are dangerous for patients, cause longer hospital stays, and increase costs.
• This measure shows the percent of surgery patients whose urinary catheters were removed on the first or second day after surgery. Research shows that most surgery patients should have their urinary catheters removed within 2 days after surgery to help prevent infection.

Higher percentages are better.

Patients having Surgery Who were Actively Warmed in the Operating Room or Whose Body Temperature was Near Normal by the End of Surgery

(Data collected from 1/1/2011 to 12/31/2011)

Top hospitals achieved a 100% rate.

What It Is and Why It Is Important

• Hospitals can prevent surgical wound infections and other complications by keeping the patient’s body temperature near normal during surgery. Medical research has shown that patients whose body temperatures drop during surgery have a greater risk of infection and their wounds may not heal as quickly. Hospital staff should make sure that patients are actively warmed during and immediately after surgery to prevent drops in body temperature.
• This measure shows the percent of patients whose body temperature was normal or near normal during the time period 15 minutes before the end of surgery to 30 minutes after anesthesia ended.

Higher percentages are better.

Surgery Patients Whose Doctors Ordered Treatments to Prevent Blood Clots after Certain Types of Surgeries

(Data collected from 1/1/2011 to 12/31/2011)

Top hospitals achieved a 100% rate.

What It Is and Why It Is Important

• Certain surgeries increase the risk that the patient will develop a blood clot (venous thromboembolism). When patients stay still for a long time after some types of surgery, they are more likely to develop a blood clot in the veins of the legs, thighs, or pelvis. A blood clot slows down the flow of blood, causing swelling, redness, and pain. A blood clot can also break off and travel to other parts of the body. If the blood clot gets into the lung, it is a serious problem that can cause death.
• To help prevent blood clots from forming after surgery, doctors can order treatments to be used just before or after the surgery. These include blood-thinning medications, elastic support stockings, or mechanical air stockings that help with blood flow in the legs.

Higher percentages are better.

The information was provided from http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/, a quality tool developed by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.  You may use the information in Hospital Compare together with the other information you gather about hospitals as you decide where to get hospital services. You may want to contact your health care provider, your State Survey Agency or your state Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for more information. If you have a complaint about the quality of the medical care you or a loved one received at a hospital, first contact the hospital's patient advocate. Or, contact your state QIO. If you have other complaints about a health care facility, contact your State Survey Agency. Their phone numbers can be found at medicare.gov/Helpful Contacts. Additional information about hospitals may be found on the state websites.