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Risk factors for wound infection after minor surgery in general practice
Author(s) -
Heal Clare,
Buettner Petra,
Browning Sheldon
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2006.tb00555.x
Subject(s) - medicine , observational study , incidence (geometry) , wound care , basal cell carcinoma , basal cell , diabetes mellitus , wound infection , surgery , psychological intervention , risk factor , prospective cohort study , skin cancer , minor surgery , dermatologic surgery , surgical wound , cancer , nursing , physics , optics , endocrinology
Objective: To determine the incidence of and risk factors for surgical site infections in general practice. Design: Prospective, observational study of patients presenting for minor excisions. Setting: Primary care in a regional centre, Queensland, October 2004 to May 2005. Participants: 857 patients were assessed for infection. Results: The overall incidence of infection was 8.6% (95% CI, 3.5%–13.8%). Excisions from lower legs and feet ( P = 0.009) or thighs ( P = 0.005), excisions of basal cell carcinoma ( P = 0.006) or squamous cell carcinoma ( P = 0.002), and diabetes ( P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for wound infection. Conclusion: Our results indicate the high‐risk groups for surgery in a general practice setting, such as people with diabetes and those undergoing excision of a non‐melanocytic skin cancer or excision from a lower limb. Recognition of these groups could encourage more judicial use of prophylactic antibiotics and use of other interventions aimed at reducing infection rates.