This patient safety measure is important because it indicates the level of care provided to prevent infections in patients. Analysis of these infections may provide a screen for potential medical errors and a method for monitoring trends in infections over time. Hospitals following the appropriate protocols, (such as SIP, or patterns of cleanliness, such as washing hands before working with a patient), should see improvement in the trend of post-operative sepsis or other infections over time. Care must be taken to exclude patients from this measure who have infections when they enter the hospital, as this does not reflect quality of care delivered at the facility.