Percent of Surgery Patients with Perioperative Temperature Management
Why Is This Important?
Hospitals can prevent surgical wound infections and other complications by keeping the patient’s body temperature near normal during surgery. Medical research has shown that patients whose body temperatures drop during surgery have a greater risk of infection, and their wounds may not heal as quickly. Hospital staff should make sure that patients are actively warmed during and immediately after surgery to prevent drops in body temperature.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2012
About This Graph
This measure shows the percent of patients whose body temperatures were normal or near normal during the time period 15 minutes before the end of surgery to 30 minutes after anesthesia ended. The graph compares UMass Memorial Medical Center performance with other Massachusetts and U.S. hospitals. Higher percentages are better. (Graph data: April 2011 – March 2012)
How Are We Doing?
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 didn’t meet the standard. Every incidence when we don’t 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.