Prophylactic antibiotic use in four Dublin teaching hospitals

Area of Science:

• Surgical Infection Prevention
• Antimicrobial Stewardship
• Retrospective Cohort Studies

Background:

• Antibiotic prophylaxis is crucial for preventing surgical site infections.
• Suboptimal antibiotic use contributes to antimicrobial resistance and increased healthcare costs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the adherence to guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis in surgical patients.
• To identify common deviations in the prescribing and administration of prophylactic antibiotics.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 266 surgical patient records.
• Analysis of antibiotic prescribing patterns, including timing, duration, route, and documentation.

Main Results:

• 55% of patients received antibiotics; 71% were for prophylaxis.
• Significant deviations observed: 25% started post-operatively, 65% exceeded 24 hours, 28% used inappropriate routes.
• 67% lacked documented duration, and 4% deviated from surgeon orders.

Conclusions:

• Widespread suboptimal antibiotic prophylaxis use identified across surgical specialties.
• Improvements needed in antibiotic prescribing practices to optimize prophylaxis and combat resistance.