Percent of Surgery Patients with Antibiotic Received within One Hour Prior to Surgery
Why Is This Important?
Surgical wound infections can be prevented. Medical research shows that surgery patients who get antibiotics within the hour before their surgery are less likely to get wound infections. Getting an antibiotic earlier, or after surgery begins, is not as effective.
About This Graph
This measure indicates how often hospital staff make sure surgery patients get antibiotics at the right time. The graph compares UMass Memorial Medical Center performance with other Massachusetts and U.S. hospitals. Higher percentages are better. (Graph data: Jan 2011 - Dec 2011.)
How Are We Doing?
While we have consistently achieved a level of performance equal to our peers nationally as well as statewide, our goal is to reach 100 percent in this measure for all patients at all times. To that end, we continue to monitor our care to identify any incidences where we did not meet the standard. Every incidence when we do not meet the standard is reviewed with a multidisciplinary team in order to identify barriers to care and implement processes to help us improve. Results are updated quarterly in order to provide the most up-to-date information.