Antibiotics: Medications used to treat bacterial infections; in surgical settings, they are often administered prophylactically to reduce the risk of infection. However, improper use can contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance.

Antimicrobial/Multidrug Resistance: Antimicrobial or multidrug resistance refers to a pathogen’s ability to survive exposure to medications that would normally kill it, often seen in hospital-acquired and surgical site infections, especially in patients recently treated with antibiotics.

Biofilm: A complex aggregation of microorganisms encased in a protective matrix, often forming on wounds or implants. Biofilm can delay healing and is implicated in a significant portion of hospital-acquired infections.

Dehiscence: The reopening or breakdown of a surgical wound, often due to infection, poor surgical technique, or inappropriate dressing. Dehiscence may signal deeper underlying complications.

Hand Hygiene: The practice of cleaning hands to reduce the spread of microbial pathogens, hand hygiene is a cornerstone of infection prevention in clinical settings and includes methods such as soap and water washing, antiseptic rubs, and surgical hand antisepsis.

Healthcare-Acquired Infection (HAI): A healthcare-acquired infection (HAI), also known as a nosocomial infection, is an infection contracted in a medical facility that was not present or incubating at the time of admission, often emerging 48 hours or more after admission.

Infection: An infection occurs when harmful microorganisms invade body tissues, causing local or systemic signs and symptoms such as redness, fever, or discharge, and may range from mild to life-threatening conditions.

Sterile Technique: Sterile technique encompasses practices used to maintain a microorganism-free environment during surgical procedures, including proper draping, room ventilation, and minimizing traffic to reduce contamination risk.

Surgical Site Infection (SSI): A type of HAI that occurs at or near a surgical incision within 30 days of a procedure—or up to one year if an implant is used—and is characterized by signs of infection such as pain, redness, or drainage.