Until now, Poland did not have uniform national guidelines for the prevention of surgical site infections (SSI) in the area of perioperative nursing care. Key criteria for effective SSI prevention are included in the current CDC recommendations.

The aim of this document is to address activities undertaken by surgical nurses with respect to SSI prevention on the basis of up-to-date and reliable research results.

The document contains 15 recommendations for postoperative prevention of SSI and complements the study focusing on the preoperative period.

Integration of the recommendations into daily practice is expected to improve the quality of nursing care provided to patients, increase patient satisfaction with medical care and reduce costs.