Improving intraoperative administration of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis: a quality improvement report

Area of Science:

• Infection Control
• Surgical Quality Improvement
• Antimicrobial Stewardship

Background:

• Surgical site infections (SSIs) remain a significant concern despite existing improvement programs.
• Suboptimal antimicrobial prophylaxis administration may contribute to high SSI incidence.
• Institutional non-adherence to national guidelines for intraoperative antibiotics was identified.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the identified discordance in antibiotic administration practices.
• To implement and evaluate a quality improvement initiative focused on antimicrobial prophylaxis.
• To enhance adherence to national guidelines for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis.

Main Methods:

• A multidisciplinary quality improvement initiative was implemented.
• Interventions included targeted education and reminder-based strategies.
• Focus was on improving prescribing practices for intraoperative antibiotic administration.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in adherence to all aspects of antibiotic administration guidelines were observed.
• The interventions successfully increased compliance with national guidelines.
• Enhanced prescribing practices for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis were achieved.

Conclusions:

• Targeted, multidisciplinary interventions are effective in improving surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis prescribing.
• Improved adherence to guidelines offers a potential strategy to reduce the burden of SSIs.
• This approach may decrease SSI-related morbidity and mortality.