Cultural differences in attitudes towards surgical site infections among French anesthetists and surgeons in digestive surgery in 2022
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background
Although it generates a significant burden, little attention has been paid to preventing Surgical Site Infection (SSI) in digestive surgery.
Objective
This study explored the factors underpinning anesthetists’ and surgeons’ attitudes toward SSI prevention in digestive surgery, focusing on their perceptions of SSI, preventive measures, guidelines, and cooperation across both specialties.
Methods
Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 surgeons and 19 anesthetists working in digestive surgery. Participants were approached through established mailing lists and snowball sampling. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were coded and analyzed thematically using a constant comparative approach.
Results
SSI in digestive surgery was perceived as an inevitable consequence and ranked down in the priorities of surgeons. A paradox existed between the low consideration of superficial infections that are easily manageable through antibiotics and the strong awareness of the antibiotic resistance threat. Global trust appeared regarding the guidelines, but a knowledge gap of the guidelines was observed among surgeons in comparison with anesthetists. SSI ownership was perceived as collective, but the responsibility belonged to the surgeon alone. Surgeons focused on actions and short-term tasks within a culture of individualism, whereas anesthetists worked collectively with systemic approaches. Overall, the cooperation between both specialties was positive, but tightly reliant on teamwork, workload, and organization in the operating theatre.
Conclusions
The cultural differences between surgeons and anesthetists should be recognized as a key overarching factor in defining their respective roles in the prevention of SSI and in establishing accountability in digestive surgery — including aspects such as adherence to guidelines, and the implementation of preventive measures.
Although it generates a significant burden, little attention has been paid to preventing Surgical Site Infection (SSI) in digestive surgery.
Objective
This study explored the factors underpinning anesthetists’ and surgeons’ attitudes toward SSI prevention in digestive surgery, focusing on their perceptions of SSI, preventive measures, guidelines, and cooperation across both specialties.
Methods
Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 surgeons and 19 anesthetists working in digestive surgery. Participants were approached through established mailing lists and snowball sampling. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were coded and analyzed thematically using a constant comparative approach.
Results
SSI in digestive surgery was perceived as an inevitable consequence and ranked down in the priorities of surgeons. A paradox existed between the low consideration of superficial infections that are easily manageable through antibiotics and the strong awareness of the antibiotic resistance threat. Global trust appeared regarding the guidelines, but a knowledge gap of the guidelines was observed among surgeons in comparison with anesthetists. SSI ownership was perceived as collective, but the responsibility belonged to the surgeon alone. Surgeons focused on actions and short-term tasks within a culture of individualism, whereas anesthetists worked collectively with systemic approaches. Overall, the cooperation between both specialties was positive, but tightly reliant on teamwork, workload, and organization in the operating theatre.
Conclusions
The cultural differences between surgeons and anesthetists should be recognized as a key overarching factor in defining their respective roles in the prevention of SSI and in establishing accountability in digestive surgery — including aspects such as adherence to guidelines, and the implementation of preventive measures.
Date Issued
2025-05-28
Date Acceptance
2025-05-13
Citation
Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control, 2025, 14
ISSN
2047-2994
Publisher
BMC
Journal / Book Title
Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control
Volume
14
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
10.1186/s13756-025-01576-9
Subjects
Antimicrobial resistance
Quality and safety
Surgery
Digestive surgery
Surgical site infection
Infection prevention and control
Qualitative study
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
57
Date Publish Online
2025-05-28