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Comparison of Patient Telephone Survey with Traditional Surveillance and Monthly Physician Questionnaires in Monitoring Surgical Wound Infections

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2016

Farrin A. Manian  and
Lynn Meyer
Farrin A. Manian*
Affiliation:
Department of Infection Control, St. John's Mercy Medical Center, Saint Louis, Missouri
Lynn Meyer
Affiliation:
Department of Infection Control, St. John's Mercy Medical Center, Saint Louis, Missouri
*
Suite 3002 Tower B, 621 South New Ballas, St Louis, MO 63141
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Abstract

Objective:

To evaluate the utility of patient telephone surveys in further improving the detection of surgical wound infections (SWIs) postdischarge in the setting of ongoing traditional surveillance system and monthly physician surveys.

Design:

Prospective surveillance study of randomly selected patients undergoing surgery in inpatient or outpatient settings.

Setting:

Tertiary care suburban hospital.

Results:

Five hundred one patients were randomly selected for telephone contact, of whom 189 (38%) were successfully contacted after three attempts. Eighteen (9.5%) patients reported one or more signs or symptoms of possible SWI. However, none of these patients required antibiotic therapy, was hospitalized with an SWI, or reported by his or her physician (based on the monthly questionnaire) to have had an SWI. Total time spent contacting patients was 47 hours and 48 minutes, or 15 minutes per each successful telephone contact.

Conclusions:

Patient telephone surveys as conducted in this study were inefficient and failed to substantially improve the rate of detection of over traditional surveillance system and monthly physician questionnaires.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 14 , Issue 4 , April 1993 , pp. 216 - 218
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1993

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References

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