Translation and validation of the Greek version of the "ASEPSIS" scoring method for orthopaedic wound infections

Introduction: The ASEPSIS scoring method represents an important instrument for assessing surgical wounds for infections. The purpose of this study was to translate and validate the ASEPSIS in Greek.

Methods: The ASEPSIS was translated from English to Greek, back-translated to English, and reviewed by an expert committee. Reliability and validity analyses were performed in a sample of 111 consecutive orthopaedic patients. Patients were assessed during hospitalisation (using the ASEPSIS) and at three months after discharge (by phone, through questions about wound healing).

Results: Face validity was considered to be very good. The surgical wound infection rate was 6.3% with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria and 3.6% with the ASEPSIS (i.e. score ≥21) (p < 0.001). At three months, 7.4% of the participants reported they were given antibiotics for wound infection and 5.4% needed a rehospitalisation. The ASEPSIS score was correlated to the therapeutic administration of antibiotics (p = 0.001) and the need for rehospitalisation (p < 0.001) during the follow-up. The inter-rater agreement was 90%.

Conclusions: The Greek version of the ASEPSIS can be used by both surgeons and nurses. However, it should be used with caution until more studies are conducted with larger samples and in patients with different surgical procedures.