MAGNITUDE AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS OF SURGICAL SITE INFECTION AMONG PATIENTS ADMITTED TO SURGICAL WARD OF WOLKITE UNIVERSITY COMPREHENSIVE SPECIALIZED HOSPITAL, WOLKITE, ETHIOPIA.

Abstract

Background: Surgical site infections (SSI) are defined as infections apparent within 30 days of an operative procedure and a year if prosthetic implant is used. Globally, surgical site infections (SSIs) are one of the most commonly encountered complications after surgery(1). No study, on SSI, had been done in Wolkite university comprehensive specialized hospital (WUCSH). Therefore, this study was intended to determine the magnitude and associated factors of surgical site infections among patients admitted to surgical ward of WUCSH. Methods: Hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted on 168 files of patients who had been operated and admitted to surgical ward during the study period. Collected data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 27. Binary logistic regression test was done to determine the relationship of SSIs and risk factors. Results were presented in tables and charts. Results: A total of 984 patients underwent both emergency and elective surgeries during the study period. The magnitude of SSI was 14.9% (95% CI: 9.9-21.2). Age of the patient (AOR 1.45(95%CI: 1.09-1.93), contaminated wound class (AOR 3.09, 95%CI 1.09-8.78), presence of surgical drain (AOR 8.13: 95%CI: 2.41-27.39) longer postop stay (AOR 1.29, 95%CI1.08-1.54) and high number of people in the OR (AOR 3.28, 95%CI 1.35-7.93) were found statistically significant risk factors. Surgical drain being the strongest risk factor. Conclusion and recommendation: The magnitude of SSI was generally high. The risk factors associated with SSI were: older age of the patient, contaminated wound, use of surgical drain, prolonged postoperative hospital stay and presence of large number of people in OR during the procedure. It is advisable for the hospital to have a standardized protocol to use a surgical drain and strictly monitor OR traffic and early safe discharge of patients to reduce surgical site infection rates.