Surgical site infections (SSIs), which are infections that occur in the superficial tissues, deep tissues, and organ cavities of surgical incisions, are one of the most common and most prevalent health care-associated infections in low- and middle-income countries, with a much higher prevalence than in developed countries. Successful SSI surveillance is one of the most important strategies to reduce SSIs.

Successful SSI surveillance should include the use of an epidemiologically meaningful definition of infection, effective surveillance methods, stratification of SSI incidence by risk factors for SSI occurrence, and data feedback. The NHSN SSI includes a surveillance definition, surveillance methods, data analysis, and data feedback.