The effect of an educational intervention on the use of peri-operative antimicrobial agents

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of an educational intervention on the prescribing behaviour of doctors who order antimicrobial therapy for patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Two confidential criterion audits were separated by the intervention which involved completion of a 10-item questionnaire followed by a fully referenced answer sheet. The results showed a significant improvement in the prescribing habits of the junior surgical staff after the educational intervention. The overall error rate decreased from 50% to 20% (P = 0.003).