urgical site infections (SSI) account for a major proportion of healthcare associated infections (HCAI) yet many hospitals capture little data on the risk of SSI in patients undergoing surgery and therefore have little assurance about the quality of infection prevention in their operating departments. This paper is the first part of a two part series that will examine the principles and practice of surveillance of SSI. Part 2 will examine the analysis of SSI data and the use of the results to change practice. This paper reviews the principles that underpin SSI surveillance methodology, key concepts that affect the accuracy of data capture systems and strategies for addressing them, including risk factors and active case finding systems to ensure detection of SSI, including those that develop after discharge from hospital.
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