Peel Group
Prevention of Surgical Infections
Group Leader
Research Areas
One in ten Australians undergo surgery each year. Most patients have excellent outcomes, however, up to 20% will experience an infection following surgery. These infections lead to patient suffering, including need for re-admission to hospital, repeat operations and prolonged antibiotic courses. In addition, these infections lead to substantial healthcare and societal costs. These infections are also an important driver for the emergence of drug-resistant infections, which The World Health Organization has described as one of the most critical public health issues of our time.
The Surgical Infection Research Group, led by Professor Trisha Peel, conducts large-scale clinical trials and implementation science research investigating strategies to prevent infections following surgery. Clinical trials include the seminal NHMRC funded Australian Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis (ASAP) Trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2024 and the MRFF funded CALIPSO trial in Cardiac Surgery (ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT05447559).
The second focus of this group applies implementation and behavioural sciences to translate evidence into practice. A major focus of this team is investigating strategies to educate and empower consumers undergoing surgery.
The ultimate goals of this research program are to improve understanding about how surgical site infections develop, how to best prevent these infections and how to partner with surgical consumers.
Other Links
Media
Publications
A full list of publications can be found at Google Scholar
Selected publication
- Appropriateness of Surgical Antimicrobial Prophylaxis Practices in Australia. Ierano C, Thursky K, Marshall C, Koning S, James R, Johnson S, Imam N, Worth LJ, Peel T. JAMA Netw Open. 2019 Nov 1;2(11):e1915003. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.15003.