Table 1.

Interview guide, including supplementary questions

Role of infection control in preventing SSIs	• In your view, what are the most important factors in preventing SSI? • What activities in your day-to-day work do you do to help to prevent SSI?
Knowledge of SSI preventive measures	• Are you aware of any policies or guidelines that apply to SSI prevention? • How significant a problem do you feel SSIs are in this Trust?
Diagnosis and surveillance	• How are SSIs usually diagnosed and communicated among staff at an individual patient level and globally? • How would you and others know if there was a problem with SSIs here? • What happens to patients after discharge? How would you know if they were infected?
Barriers to compliance SSI preventive measures	• How easy is it for you to prevent SSI? Is it ever difficult? Why? • Thinking specifically about policies or guidelines that apply to SSI prevention, to what extent do you feel these are practicable?
Facilitators to compliance SSI preventive measures	• Who is accountable for SSI prevention, in your opinion? • What sort of feedback do you get on these activities - at an individual or team level?  ◦ How often does this occur? Is the feedback confidential or open?  ◦ How often do you get the chance to watch others work? • What do you see as important in terms of you colleagues’ roles in preventing SSIs?  ◦ Does this work well or are there any problems? Why?  ◦ Do you feel you are in position to question the infection control behaviours of your colleagues and superiors?  ◦ How would you describe the culture of transparency around SSI here? • Is there anything you feel can be done to improve SSI rates in your hospital? • Is there any new technology, gadgets, apps etc. that you know of that relate to SSIs?

Abreviation: SSI Surgical site infection