Surgical Site Infection Surveillance
In May 2007, the SARI (Strategy for the control of Antimicrobial Resistance in Ireland) National Committee agreed that a subcommittee be established to produce recommendations on surveillance of surgical site infection in Ireland. This was subsequent to agreement at the Health Service Executive (HSE) healthcare-associated infections (HCAI) Governance Committee that HCAI surveillance was one of the key components in the prevention and control of HCAI.
Members of the subcommittee include:
- Dr Fidelma Fitzpatrick, Consultant Microbiologist, Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) & Beaumont Hospital, Dublin (Chair)
- Ms Mary Kelleher, Surveillance Scientist, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin (representing the Surveillance Scientists Association)
- Mr Ken Mealy, Consultant Surgeon, Wexford General Hospital, Wexford (lead surgeon driving the General Surgery surveillance initiative in Wexford Hospital)
- Dr Olive Murphy, Consultant Microbiologist, Bon Secours Cork (representing the Irish Society of Clinical Microbiologists - ISCM)
- Dr Brian O’Connell, Consultant Microbiologist, St. James’s Hospital, Dublin (representing ISCM)
- Mr Ajay Oza, Surveillance Scientist, HPSC
- Dr Fiona Roche, Surveillance Scientist, HPSC
- Dr Edward Smyth, Director, Northern Ireland Healthcare-associated infection Surveillance Centre and Consultant Microbiologist, Royal Hospitals, Northern Ireland
- Ms Mairead Twohig, Infection Control, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda (representing the Infection Control Nurses Association)
The subcommittee first met on 30th July 2007. To date, the subcommittee has produced a national protocol containing a national core dataset for surveillance in general surgery. The subcommittee has recently developed a protocol for surveillance post caesarian section.
Last updated: 2nd February 2009