Date of Conferral
2023
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Public Health
Advisor
Dr. Leah Miller
Abstract
Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common healthcare associated infections and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Existing studies have focused primarily on perioperative intervention strategies to reduce infection risks following total joint replacement (TJA) procedures. However, postoperative (post-op) SSI risk factors may account for a significant percentage of hospital readmissions due to infections at the surgical site. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the association between post-op recovery level and SSI among patients who underwent primary hip arthroplasty procedures. Using the social ecological model, which conceptualizes health broadly and focuses on multiple factors that might affect a patient’s recovery level, a retrospective study design was used to examine possible associations between the variables of SSIs and recovery levels by examining readmissions data from electronic medical records at one hospital. SSIs were classified based on National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) criteria. Results indicated that recovery level had an influence on healthcare-associated hip infections but not on level of depth of primary hip infections. Further, variables including age, acuity, length of hospital stay, and insurance type were not predictors of healthcare-associated primary hip infections. This study is significant to epidemiology in terms of developing a baseline for identifying and addressing SSI risk factors at various post-op recovery levels and developing new initiatives to reduce healthcare associated SSI rates and therefore ultimately reducing healthcare expenditures in the United States.
Recommended Citation
Foster, Misha, "Evaluation of Recovery Level and Surgical Site Infection for Hip Replacement Surgeries" (2023). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 13362.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/13362
