<p>Wound site infections contribute to increased mortality in patients, as well as extended hospital stays and elevated medical costs. This research aimed to explore the impacts of various types of interventions on reducing the incidence of wound infection in patients undergoing surgery<b>.</b> Comprehensive computer searches were conducted across the seven reputable databases (Epistemonikos, Cochrane, Scopus, PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Web of Science) from the inception of each database until May 11, 2025. The literature was screened, data were extracted, and a quality assessment of the studies was performed based on the PICO framework using the JBI method. A case–control meta-analysis was conducted using Stata software. A total of 112 papers were included, encompassing 154,532 patients. Based on the findings of these studies, multidisciplinary intervention programs, evidence-based interventions, and comprehensive intervention strategies demonstrated the highest effectiveness in reducing the incidence rates of wound infection in patients undergoing surgery. Although wound management programs, educational interventions, medication interventions, discharge programs, and showering care programs, despite their low cost, could significantly decrease the incidence rates of wound infections in surgical patients, they were less effective than the aforementioned approaches. The subgroup analysis revealed that the pooled incidence of wound infections in a combined intervention design (− 10.38; 95% CI − 12.41, − 8.34) showed a greater decline compared to the incidence rates during the implementation of individual interventions, such as preoperative, intraoperative, or postoperative measures. Current evidence suggests that employing a combined intervention design, which includes preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative strategies, can effectively reduce the incidence of wound infections in patients undergoing surgery.</p>