The surveillance of surgical site infections (SSIs) is one of the priorities of the national program to combat healthcare-associated infections. The implementation of a surveillance system that generates incidence data should make it possible to assess the impact of a prevention policy. This policy is based on the surgical teams’ knowledge of and adherence to best practice guidelines. With this in mind and in accordance with national recommendations, C-CLIN Paris Nord has established a program for the surveillance and prevention of SSI, the INCISO network, involving a network of volunteer surgical departments within its inter-regional area. Presented here are the initial results regarding trends in SSI incidence obtained from the surgical departments participating in the program between 1998 and 2000.