Post-discharge surveillance: an analysis of the importance of the subnotification of the incidence of the surgical wound infection

uma análise da importância da subnotificação da incidência da infecção do sítio cirúrgico

Abstract

It is an epidemiologic and prospective study that approaches the problem of the subnotification of the surgical wound infection (SWI), where, data obtained only during the patient's stay underestimated the taxes of SWI, since from 19 to 84% of SWI could be diagnosed after discharge. Accomplished during the stay and after discharge, from August 2001 to March 2002. There were accompanied 501 patients, 140 (27,8%) of SWI were notified during the stay and 109 (77,9%) after discharge, confirming the hypothesis of subestimation of the incidence of SWI, where, without the surveillance after discharge, these 77,9% of infections would have not been notified.