The importance of surveillance after discharge from hospital in the diagnosis of postoperative wound infection.

A prospective survey was carried out in West Dorset to determine the incidence of postoperative wound infection. A total of 1242 patients were included in the survey (1086 inpatients and 156 day cases). The overall infection rate was 6.7%. Although the incidence of infection was consistent with that reported by other studies, the infection rate in the 'clean' surgical category was higher than in most other published reports. Careful surveillance after discharge from hospital may have been responsible for identifying cases of wound infection which otherwise might not have come to the attention of the study. Of patients whose wounds became infected, 34 (41%) cases were diagnosed in hospital and 49 (59%) cases were diagnosed in the community. Failure to pursue patients after discharge would have resulted in a substantial underestimation of the true wound infection rate.