Orthopaedic Wound Infection
Facts & Figures
• From 1 January 2019 to the end of December 2019 the rolling average orthopaedic wound
infection rate was 0.51% compared to the Northern Ireland average of 0.45%. There was a
slight increase in Trust figures than those reported in the previous year.
This spike in the number of surgical wound infections occurred in Quarter Four. It was positive to
note that none of these were thought to be linked to transmission in hospital.
(Thanks to Public Health Agency colleagues for letting us use the above chart).
• Continue to monitor wound infections occurring following orthopaedic surgery
• Provide timely feedback to clinical teams so that any learning can be identified and
implemented
NEXT STEPS
Goal 3: Measuring the Improvement 65