Compliance with Surgical Care Improvement Project for Body Temperature Management (SCIP Inf-10) Is Associated with Improved Clinical Outcomes.

Abstract

In an effort to measure and improve the quality of perioperative care, the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) was introduced in 2003. The SCIP guidelines are evidence-based process measures designed to reduce preventable morbidity, but it remains to be determined whether SCIP-measure compliance is associated with improved outcomes. The authors retrospectively analyzed the electronic medical record data from 45,304 inpatients at a single institution to assess whether compliance with SCIP Inf-10 (body temperature management) was associated with a reduced incidence of morbidity and mortality. The primary outcomes were hospital-acquired infection and ischemic cardiovascular events. Secondary outcomes were mortality and hospital length of stay. Body temperature on admission to the postoperative care unit was higher in the SCIP-compliant group (36.6° ± 0.5°C; n = 44,064) compared with the SCIP-noncompliant group (35.5° ± 0.5°C; n = 1,240) (P < 0.0001). SCIP compliance was associated with improved outcomes in both nonadjusted and risk-adjusted analyses. SCIP compliance was associated with a reduced incidence of hospital-acquired infection (3,312 [7.5%] vs.160 [12.9%] events; risk-adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.68; 95% CI, 0.54 to 0.85), ischemic cardiovascular events (602 [1.4%] vs. 38 [3.1%] events; risk-adjusted OR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.41 to 0.92), and mortality (617 [1.4%] vs. 60 [4.8%] events; risk-adjusted OR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.29 to 0.58). Median (interquartile range) hospital length of stay was also decreased: 4 (2 to 8) versus 5 (2 to 14) days; P < 0.0001. Compliance with SCIP Inf-10 body temperature management guidelines during surgery is associated with improved clinical outcomes and can be used as a quality measure.