Surgical site infections (SSI) rates, risk factors and post discharge surveillance (PDS) methods: A narrative review

Introduction One of the most challenging outcomes after surgery is site infection, the consequences of which include the cost burden on hospitals, contributions to patient morbidity and readmissions. A shift to shorter hospital stays requires closer monitoring of surgical site infections (SSI) after discharge. This paper reviews post-discharge surveillance (PDS) methods on SSI identification, a comparison of some of these methods, SSI rates during and after hospitalization, and associated risk factors for SSI.