Management of small wounds: result of an Italian survey

Infection at the surgical site is a frequent complication of office skin procedures, such as electrodesiccation, laser therapy, superficial peelings, curettage, cryotherapy, and incisional or shave biopsies. The use of antibiotic therapy in their prevention is highly controversial due to the raising phenomenon of antibiotic resistance. Italy ranks fifth among high-income countries for resistance to antibiotics, with a rate seven times higher than Scandinavia. In order to raise awareness on this alarming issue, a survey was planned to disclose the misuse of topical antibiotics in the dermatologic practice.

A specifically designed questionnaire aimed at analyzing the topical management of skin lesions following common office skin procedures was distributed nationwide to physicians engaged in the management of small surgical wounds and then collected for statistical data processing and evaluation.

A total of 1500 forms were distributed nationwide, 1340 (89.3%) of which were completed by dermatologists. Analysis of the collected data showed that more than 70% of the respondents always use topical antibiotics in the attempt of preventing possible post-procedure superinfections.

This survey confirms not only an antibiotic misuse by a large part of the respondents, but above all the widespread erroneous belief that such therapeutic approach can be useful in averting the risk of infections postoperatively. These findings may obviously explain the spread of antibiotic resistance in Italy and confirm that there is an absolute need to raise awareness among dermatologists about the damage caused by the misuse of antibiotics in the management of small wounds.