Adherence of surgeons to antimicrobial prophylaxis guidelines in a tertiary general hospital in a rapidly developing country

Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Surgery: Current Insights and Future Directions for Surgical Site Infection Prevention

Surgical site infections (SSIs) remain a significant concern in the field of surgery, contributing to patient morbidity, prolonged hospital stays, and increased healthcare costs. Antibiotic prophylaxis, the administration of antibiotics before surgery, has been a cornerstone in preventing SSIs for decades. This review explores the current state of antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery, offering insights into its effectiveness, challenges, and emerging trends. In this comprehensive analysis, we delve into the historical development of antibiotic prophylaxis, examining its evolution from early practices to modern guidelines. We explore the various classes of antibiotics commonly used, their dosing regimens, and the importance of timing in optimizing prophylactic interventions. Additionally, we investigate the role of patient-specific factors, such as comorbidities and allergies, in tailoring antibiotic prophylaxis to individual needs. While antibiotic prophylaxis has undeniably reduced the incidence of SSIs, concerns about antimicrobial resistance and adverse effects necessitate a reevaluation of current practices. This review presents a critical assessment of the challenges posed by the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in surgery and highlights the urgent need for judicious antibiotic stewardship. Moreover, the future of antibiotic prophylaxis holds promise with the emergence of innovative strategies such as antimicrobial coatings, probiotics, and immunomodulatory agents. We discuss these novel approaches and their potential to enhance SSI prevention while minimizing antibiotic-related risks. In conclusion, antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery has been instrumental in reducing SSIs, but its continued effectiveness requires a multifaceted approach. By addressing current challenges, promoting antibiotic stewardship, and embracing innovative strategies, we can advance the field of SSI prevention and improve patient outcomes in the years to come. This review provides valuable insights and direction for clinicians, researchers, and policymakers as they navigate the evolving landscape of surgical prophylaxis.

"A breach in the protocol for no good reason": a surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis experience in an Ethiopian academic medical center

BACKGROUND

An appropriately administered surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis decreases the rate of surgical site infections. Although evidence-based clinical practice guidelines have been published on surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis, the rate of adherence to the protocol and the impact of extending antimicrobial prophylaxis postoperatively is yet to be well elucidated.

METHOD

A total of general surgery and vascular surgery patients with clean and clean contaminated wound undergoing elective surgical procedures were included in the study. The rate of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis utilization, the proportion of patients whom had their antimicrobial prophylaxis extended beyond 24 h and the rate of surgical site infections across groups were evaluated.

RESULTS

The surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis utilization rate was 90.5%. Of these patients, 12.6% were unnecessarily administered with antibiotics. An "extended" antibiotics administration beyond 24 h after the surgery was found in 40.2%. Gastrointestinal and hepato-pancreatico-biliary surgery patients had 7.9-fold rate of "extended" surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis beyond 24 h, AOR 7.89 (95% CI 3.88-20.715.62, p value < 0.0001). The overall rate of surgical site infection was 15(6.8%). The "extended" regimen of prophylactic antibiotics had no effect on the rate of surgical site infections.

CONCLUSION

Less than half of the patients included here had surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis regimen in accordance with the existing guidelines. The most common protocol violation was noted as extension of antimicrobial prophylaxis for more than 24 h after surgery. The extension of antimicrobial prophylaxis did not decrease the rate of surgical site infections, reaffirming the evidence that prophylactic extension of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis is unnecessary.

Carol Davila Central Military Emergency University Hospital, 010825 Bucharest, Romania, Torsin LI, Filimon CR, Tănase NV, Moisă E, Negoiță SI, Clinic of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Dr. Carol Davila Central Military Emergency University Hospital, 010825 Bucharest, Romania, Clinic of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Dr. Carol Davila Central Military Emergency University Hospital, 010825 Bucharest, Romania, Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania 2 Clinic of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Dr. Carol Davila Central Military Emergency University Hospital, 010825 Bucharest, Romania, "Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania, 3 Clinic of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Elias Emergency University Hospital, 011461 Bucharest, Romania", Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 020021 Bucharest, Romania, 3 Clinic of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Elias. Individualized surgical antibiotic prophylaxis – why, when, and how?

"Surgical site infections (SSI) greatly concern clinicians, as they are associated with significant morbidity and mortality, prolonged hospitalization, and costs. Antibiotic prophylaxis plays a pivotal role among the procedures that are usually employed for the prevention of surgical-related infections. This narrative review aims to cover some of the particular situations when the clinician might consider individualizing antibiotic prophylaxis for a patient. With the rising incidence of multi-drug resistant bacteria carriage among not only hospitalized or institutionalized patients but also patients from the community, there might be a tendency to use extended-spectrum antibiotics for longer periods for surgical infection prevention. However, the inappropriate use of antibiotics increases the selection pressure, thus favoring the spreading of resistant bacteria. Moreover, specific patient characteristics or pathologies might need to be considered to customize the type, dose, or length of administration of an antibiotic as surgical prophylaxis. Using prosthetic material or prolonged surgeries with large fluid shifts are other situations when individualized antibiotic prophylaxis might be thought of. Keeping in mind that it is of utmost importance that everyone adheres to the current guidelines for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis, customization of local protocols according to well-thought-out strategies might prove beneficial in SSI prevention."

Appropriateness of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis in a teaching hospital in Ghana: findings and implications

Background

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are among the most common infections seen in hospitalized patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), accounting for up to 60% of hospital-acquired infections. Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) has shown to be an effective intervention for reducing SSIs and their impact. There are concerns of inappropriate use of SAP in Ghana and therefore our audit in this teaching hospital.

Methods

A retrospective cross sectional clinical audit of medical records of patients undergoing surgery over a 5 month duration from January to May 2021 in Ho Teaching Hospital. A data collection form was designed to collect key information including the age and gender of patients, type and duration of surgery, choice and duration of SAP. The collected data was assessed for the proportion of SAP compliance with Ghana Standard Treatment Guidelines (STGs) and any association with various patient, surgical wound and drug characteristics.

Results

Of the 597 medical records assessed, the mean age of patients was 35.6 ± 12.2 years with 86.8% (n = 518) female. Overall SAP compliance with the STG was 2.5% (n = 15). SAP compliance due to appropriate choice of antimicrobials was 67.0% (n = 400) and duration at 8.7% (n = 52). SAP compliance was predicted by duration of SAP (P < 0.000) and postoperative hospitalization duration (P = 0.005).

Conclusions

SAP compliance rate was suboptimal, principally due to a longer duration of prescription. Quality improvement measures such as education of front-line staff on guideline compliance, coupled with clinical audit and regular updates, are urgently needed to combat inappropriate prescribing and rising resistance rates.

Antibiotic Usage in Surgical Prophylaxis: A Retrospective Study in the Surgical Ward of a Governmental Hospital in Riyadh Region

Antibiotic prophylaxis is used to decrease the bacterial load in the wound to assist the natural host defenses in preventing the occurrence of surgical site infections. The present study aimed to investigate trends in using antibiotic prophylaxis in the surgical ward of a governmental hospital in the Riyadh Region and included collecting data concerning the use of antibiotic prophylaxis from medical electronic records. During 2020, most of the surgical patients received systemic antibiotics (82.40%). The most prescribed antibiotics were ceftriaxone (28.44%) and metronidazole (26.36%). The study also found that most of the patients received antibiotics for seven days or for five days, and only 1.08% of the patients received antibiotics appropriately for a maximum of one day. The present study showed that there was a major problem in selecting the correct antibiotic and in the duration of its use compared with the recommendations of the surgical prophylaxis guideline that was issued by the Saudi Ministry of Health. Thus, there is an urgent need to improve the adherence to the recommendations of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines in order to reduce the occurrence of negative consequences.

Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis in an Era of Antibiotic Resistance: Common Resistant Bacteria and Wider Considerations for Practice

The increasing incidence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) presents a global crisis to healthcare, with longstanding antimicrobial agents becoming less effective at treating and preventing infection. In the surgical setting, antibiotic prophylaxis has long been established as routine standard of care to prevent surgical site infection (SSI), which remains one of the most common hospital-acquired infections. The growing incidence of AMR increases the risk of SSI complicated with resistant bacteria, resulting in poorer surgical outcomes (prolonged hospitalisation, extended durations of antibiotic therapy, higher rates of surgical revision and mortality). Despite these increasing challenges, more data are required on approaches at the institutional and patient level to optimise surgical antibiotic prophylaxis in the era of antibiotic resistance (AR). This review provides an overview of the common resistant bacteria encountered in the surgical setting and covers wider considerations for practice to optimise surgical antibiotic prophylaxis in the perioperative setting.

The Effect of Pharmacist-Led Intervention on Surgical Antibacterial Prophylaxis (SAP) at an Orthopedic Unit

Perioperative antibiotic use is a common reason for antibiotic misuse. Evidence suggests that adherence to SAP guidelines may improve outcomes. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of pharmacist-led antibiotic stewardship interventions on SAP guideline compliance. The study was conducted at an Orthopedic Department of a tertiary care medical center. SAP compliance and antibiotic exposure in the pre-intervention and intervention period was compared using chi-square, Fisher exact, and Mann-Whitney tests, as appropriate. Prophylactic antibiotic use in orthopedic joint arthroplasties (overall guideline adherence: agent, dose, frequency, duration), clinical outcomes (length of stay-LOS, number of surgical site infections-SSIs), antibiotic exposure and direct antibiotic costs were compared between pre-intervention and intervention periods. Significant improvement in mean SAP duration (by 42.9%, 4.08 ± 2.08 vs. 2.08 ± 1.90 days, p ˂ 0.001), and overall guideline adherence regarding antibiotic use (by 56.2%, from 2% to 58.2%, p ˂ 0.001) were observed. A significant decrease was observed in antibiotic exposure in SAP (by 41%, from 6.07 ± 0.05 to 3.58 ± 4.33 DDD/patient, p ˂ 0.001), average prophylactic antibiotic cost (by 54.8%, 9278.79 ± 6094.29 vs. 3598.16 ± 3354.55 HUF/patient), and mean LOS (by 37.2%, from 11.22 ± 6.96 to 7.62 ± 3.02 days, p < 0.001); and a slight decrease in the number of confirmed SSIs was found between the two periods (by 1.8%, from 3% to 1.2%, p = 0.21). Continuous presence of the clinical pharmacist led to significant improvement in SAP guideline adherence, which was accompanied by decreased antibiotic exposure and cost.

Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis in open reduction internal fixation procedures at a metropolitan hospital in Australia: a retrospective audit

Background

Open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) of closed fractures is a required indication for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP). Guidelines contain recommendations on how best to prescribe SAP, however, adherence to SAP guidelines remains suboptimal. The Australian Therapeutic Guidelines: Antibiotic v16 (updated April 2019) advocates for single dose prophylaxis for ORIF procedures. There is a paucity of information on how SAP is prescribed for ORIF of closed fractures in Australian hospitals. The aim of this study was to identify prescribing practice and to evaluate guideline adherence pre- and post-guideline update.

Methods

A retrospective audit was conducted for patients undergoing an ORIF of closed fractures at a metropolitan teaching hospital in a 6-month period during 2018 (pre-guideline update) and 2019 (post-guideline update). Data were collected on prescribing practice (perioperative antibiotics prescribed, dose, time and route of administration and duration of prophylaxis) and compared to SAP recommendations in Therapeutic Guidelines: Antibiotic v15 (2018) and v16 (2019). Descriptive statistics and Chi square tests were used to report categorical variables. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with guideline adherence. A p-value < 0.05 was deemed statistically significant.

Results

Data were collected for a total of 390 patients (n = 185, 2018; n = 205, 2019). Cefazolin was the most commonly prescribed antibiotic as per guideline recommendations, with variable, yet appropriate doses observed across the two audit periods. While 78.3% of patients received SAP for the correct duration in 2018, only 20.4% of patients received single dose prophylaxis in 2019. Overall adherence to guidelines was 63.2% in the 2018, and 18.0% in the 2019 audit periods respectively. Patient age was significantly associated with an increase in overall guideline adherence, while lower limb fractures, an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of 3 and emergency admissions were associated with decreased overall adherence to SAP guidelines.

Conclusion

Adherence to guidelines was greater with v15 (2018) compared with v16 (2019). Patient factors, including limb fracture site and ASA score, had little impact on guideline adherence. Further research is required to understand what influences guideline adherence in the orthopaedic setting.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12893-021-01398-7.

Seksaka M, F. Balata G. Antibiotic overuse in obstetric and gynecologic procedures at Zagazig university hospitals: A prospective observational study

Surgical site infection (SSI) constitutes a major problem in healthcare in terms of healthcare cost, morbidity and mortality. Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) is one of the effective strategies for SSI prevention. Poor adherence to SAP guidelines across different countries has been observed. Misuse of prophylactic antibiotics threatens patient safety and leads to an increase in the acquisition of antibiotic resistance. The aim of this study was to assess the utilization of SAP in obstetric and gynecologic procedures in terms of indication for prophylaxis, antibiotic selection, timing of administration and prophylaxis duration. A prospective observational study was conducted at the obstetrics and gynecology department of Zagazig University Hospital during the period from January 2020 to June 2020. Medical records of 264 women were recorded and evaluated. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) therapeutic guidelines, World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) practice bulletin were used for data evaluation and hence women were stratified into two groups. For women who underwent procedures in which guidelines recommended the use of SAP (200 patients; 75.75%), 198 women (99%) received preoperative prophylaxis. None of women (0%) received the recommended first line antibiotic by guidelines while the most commonly used prophylactic antibiotics were Cefotaxime (86 patients; 43.43%) and Ampicillin-sulbactam (62 patients; 31.31%). Preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis timing was 0-60 minutes before skin incision. All women received postoperative prophylaxis that extended to an average of 7 days. Regarding the other group who underwent procedures in which prophylactic antibiotics weren’t recommended by guidelines (64 patients; 24.24%), 37 women (57.81%) followed the guidelines and didn’t receive SAP while 27 women (42.18%) received SAP. Poor adherence to guidelines recommendations regarding prophylactic antibiotic selection and prophylaxis duration was observed. High utilization rate of prophylactic antibiotics in procedures that didn’t require their use was reported..

Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis administration practices

SETTING

A referral hospital in Kavre, Nepal.

OBJECTIVES

To assess 1) compliance with National Antibiotic Treatment Guidelines (NATG), specifically, whether the administration of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) (initial dosing and redosing) was in compliance with NATG for patients who were and were not eligible, and 2) development of surgical site infections (SSIs) among patients who underwent surgery in the Department of General Surgery (July-December 2019).

DESIGN

This was a retrospective cohort analysis.

RESULTS

The analysis included 846 patients, of which 717 (85%) patients were eligible for SAP and 129 (15%) were ineligible. Of those eligible, 708 (99%) received the initial dose; while 65 (50%) of the ineligible did not receive any dose. Of those who received the initial dose, 164 (23%) were eligible for redosing. Of these, only 23 (14%) received at least one redosing and 141 (86%) did not receive it. Overall compliance with NATG was achieved in 75% (632/846) of patients. SSIs occurred in 23 (3%) patients, 8 (35%) of whom did not have SAP administered according to NATG.

CONCLUSION

A relatively high overall compliance with NATG for SAP administration was reported. Recommendations were made to improve compliance among those who were ineligible for SAP and those who were eligible for redosing.

Factors that influence adherence to surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) guidelines: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Despite the extensive research that has been conducted to date, practice often differs from established guidelines and will vary between individuals and organisations. It has been noted that the global uptake of local and international surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) guidelines is poor with limited research investigating factors that affect guideline adherence. The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the reported barriers and enablers to the adherence of SAP guidelines.

METHODS

A search of the literature was performed using four electronic databases (CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed and SCOPUS) for articles published in the English language from January 1998 to December 2018. Articles were included if they were solely related to SAP and discussed the barriers or enablers to SAP guideline adherence. Articles that assessed the adherence to a range of infection control measures or discussed adherence to antibiotic treatment guidelines rather than SAP guidelines were excluded from this review. Barriers and enablers were mapped to the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used to assess the quality of included studies.

RESULTS

A total of 1489 papers were originally retrieved, with 48 papers meeting the eligibility criteria. Barriers and enablers were mapped to 11 out of 14 TDF domains: knowledge, skills, social/professional role and identity, beliefs about capabilities, beliefs about consequences, reinforcement, memory, attention and decision processes, environmental context and resources, social influences, emotion and behavioural regulation. Barriers were further categorised into personal or organisational barriers, while enablers were arranged under commonly trialled interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

There are numerous factors that can determine the uptake of SAP guidelines. An identification and understanding of these factors at a local level is required to develop tailored interventions to enhance guideline adherence. Interventions, when used in combination, can be considered as a means of improving guideline use.

Assessment of implementation of antibiotic stewardship program in surgical prophylaxis at a secondary care hospital in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates

Antibiotic overuse is a major factor for causing antibiotic resistance globally. However, only few studies reported the implementation and evaluation of antimicrobial stewardship programs in Gulf Cooperation Council. This study was conducted within 8-months periods to evaluate the effect of the newly implemented antibiotic stewardship program on improving the prescribing practice of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis in a secondary care hospital in the United Arab Emirates by releasing local hospital guidelines. The data of 493 in patients were documented in the predesigned patient profile form and the prescribing practice of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis for clean and clean-contaminant surgical procedures was compared and analyzed two months’ prior (period A) and post (period B) the implementation of antibiotic stewardship program. The 347 patient’s data (PD) were analyzed during period A and 146 PD during period B. The prescription of piperacillin/tazobactam was decreased from 2.4% from all surgical prophylaxis antibiotic orders in period A to 0% in period B. The appropriateness of the antibiotic therapy was found to differ non significantly for the selection of prophylactic antibiotic (p = 0.552) and for the timing of first dose administration (p = 0.061) between A and B periods. The total compliance was decreased non significantly (P = 0.08) from 45.3 to 40.2%. Overall, the guidelines have improved the prescribing practice of antibiotics prior to surgery. However, further improvement can be achieved by initiating educational intervention via cyclic auditing strategy.

Compliance of antibiotics used for surgical site infection prophylaxis among patients undergoing surgery in a Congolese teaching hospital

BACKGROUND

Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) is one of the measures used for preventing surgical site infections. SAP has high impact but there is low compliance with antimicrobial guidelines in many developing countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This study aimed to assess the compliance of antibiotics used for surgical site infection prophylaxis with international guidelines among patients undergoing surgery at the "Cliniques Universitaires du Graben" (CUG).

METHODS

This was a retrospective study including all patients who underwent surgery and received SAP between January 2017 and December 2018 at CUG. Surgical and Gynaecology-Obstetric patients were included. A total of 265 patients were included in the analysis. A standardized questionnaire was used for collecting pre-, per-, and post-operative data. The compliance of SAP was assessed for all patients. Data were analysed using SPSS version 22.

RESULTS

The compliance rate ofSAP among patients undergoing surgery at CUG was 18.1%. Emergency surgery increased the risk of SAP non-compliance by three fold (OR=3.5, 95% CI: 1.0-11.8, p = 0.033). The most frequent antibiotics used in SAP were ampicillin, cloxacillin, gentamicin and ceftriaxone, alone or in combination. Categories of non-compliance included; inappropriate initial dose of antibiotic (compliance rate of 23.8%) and incorrect duration of antibiotic use (compliance rate of 30.9%). Among the included patients, 22 (8.3%) presented with a surgical site infection, of those 20 (90.9%) had received non-compliant SAP.

CONCLUSION

The correct use of SAP among patients undergoing surgery at CUG is low. Implementing measures to optimize adherence to SAP guidelines should be encouraged. A high rate of surgical site infections is observed in cases where the SAP is prescribed or administered in a non-compliant manner.

Factors associated with antimicrobial choice for surgical prophylaxis in Australia

Background

Cefazolin is the most commonly recommended antimicrobial for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP). However, the Australian Surgical National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey revealed a wide range of antimicrobials prescribed for SAP. Inappropriate use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials is associated with increased patient harm and is a posited driver for antimicrobial resistance.

Objectives

To describe patient, hospital and surgical factors that are associated with appropriateness of the top five prescribed antimicrobials/antimicrobial classes for procedural SAP.

Methods

All procedures audited from 18 April 2016 to 15 April 2019 in the Surgical National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey were included in the analysis. Estimated marginal means analyses accounted for a range of variables and calculated a rate of adjusted appropriateness (AA). Subanalyses of the top five audited antimicrobials/antimicrobial classes identified associations between variables and appropriateness.

Results

A total of 12 419 surgical episodes with 14 150 prescribed initial procedural doses were included for analysis. When procedural SAP was prescribed, appropriateness was low (57.7%). Allergy status, surgical procedure group and the presence of prosthetic material were positively associated with cefazolin and aminoglycoside appropriateness (P < 0.05). There were no significant positive associations with glycopeptides and third/fourth-generation cephalosporins. The use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials was the most common reason for inappropriate choice (67.9% of metronidazole to 83.3% of third/fourth-generation cephalosporin prescriptions).

Conclusions

Various factors influence appropriateness of procedural SAP choice. Identification of these factors provides targets for antimicrobial stewardship interventions, e.g. procedures where surgeons are regularly prescribing broad-spectrum SAP. These can be tailored to address local hospital prescribing practices.

Development of Antimicrobial Stewardship Programmes in Low and Middle-Income Countries: A Mixed-Methods Study in Nigerian Hospitals

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major concern facing global health today, with the greatest impact in developing countries where the burden of infectious diseases is much higher. The inappropriate prescribing and use of antibiotics are contributory factors to increasing antibiotic resistance. Antimicrobial stewardship programmes (AMS) are implemented to optimise use and promote behavioural change in the use of antimicrobials. AMS programmes have been widely employed and proven to improve antibiotic use in many high-income settings. However, strategies to contain antimicrobial resistance have yet to be successfully implemented in low-resource settings. A recent toolkit for AMS in low- and middle-income countries by the World Health Organisation (WHO) recognizes the importance of local context in the development of AMS programmes. This study employed a bottom-up approach to identify important local determinants of antimicrobial prescribing practices in a low-middle income setting, to inform the development of a local AMS programme. Analysis of prescribing practices and interviews with prescribers highlighted priorities for AMS, which include increasing awareness of antibiotic resistance, development and maintenance of guidelines for antibiotic use, monitoring and surveillance of antibiotic use, ensuring the quality of low-cost generic medicines, and improved laboratory services. The application of an established theoretical model for behaviour change guided the development of specific proposals for AMS. Finally, in a consultation with stakeholders, the feasibility of the plan was explored along with strategies for its implementation. This project provides an example of the design, and proposal for implementation of an AMS plan to improve antibiotic use in hospitals in low-middle income settings.

Impact of Antimicrobial Stewardship Interventions on Appropriateness of Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis: How to Improve

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most common healthcare-associated infections. The appropriate use of Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis (SAP) is a key component to reduce SSIs, while its inappropriate application is a major cause of some emerging infections and selects for antibiotic resistance. We describe an Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) intervention on SAP appropriateness. The prospective study was conducted in an Italian hospital, in 12 main surgical units, and was organized in three subsequent phases, as follows. Phase 0: Definition of hospital evidence-based guidelines and a new workflow to optimize the process of ordering, dispensing, administering and documenting the SAP. Phase 1: We analysed 2059 elective surgical cases from January to June 2018 for three SAP parameters of appropriateness: indication, choice and dose. Phase 2: In July 2018, an audit was performed to analyse the results; we reviewed 1781 elective surgical procedures from July to December 2018 looking for the same three SAP appropriateness parameters. The comparative analysis between phases 1 and 2 demonstrated that the correct indication, the correct dose and the overall compliance significantly improved (p-value 0.00128, p-value < 2.2·10¹⁶ and p-value < 5.6·10¹² respectively). Our prospective study demonstrates a model of successful antimicrobial stewardship intervention that improves appropriateness on SAP.

Adherence to the guidelines for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis in a Saudi tertiary care hospital

Objective

The study evaluated the adherence to the guidelines for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis in a Saudi tertiary care hospital.

Methods

The medical records of 707 patients from the surgical units over a selected 3-month period were selected. The data were reviewed and statistically analysed.

Results

Of the 707 respondents, 51.2% were women and most were older than 50 years. The most common surgical procedures involved orthopaedics (28.3%), followed by vascular surgery (15.1%). One hundred and thirty-eight (19.5%) patients received antibiotics according to the guidelines for surgical prophylaxis. More than half of the patients (399/56.4%) received antibiotics for more than 24 h and 129 (18.2%) received antibiotics for less than 24 h. Single dose antibiotic therapy was used in 179 (25.3%) patients. Two hundred and ninety-seven (42%) patients underwent clean surgery, 284 (40%) clean-contaminated and 128 (18%) contaminated surgery. A significant difference was evident between the antibiotics administered according to the recommended guidelines and the duration of antibiotic therapy (p = 0.001), duration (p = 0.001) and the type of surgical procedure (p = 0.00).

Conclusion

The findings of this study suggest that healthcare professionals do not strictly adhere to the guidelines for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis. Physicians are therefore encouraged to follow the recommendations appropriately and to regularly implement surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis for patient safety.

Influences on surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis decision making by surgical craft groups, anaesthetists, pharmacists and nurses in public and private hospitals

Background

Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) is a leading indication for antibiotic use in the hospital setting, with demonstrated high rates of inappropriateness. Decision-making for SAP is complex and multifactorial. A greater understanding of these factors is needed to inform the design of targeted antimicrobial stewardship interventions and strategies to support the optimization of SAP and its impacts on patient care.

Methods

A qualitative case study exploring the phenomenon of SAP decision-making. Focus groups were conducted with surgeons, anaesthetists, theatre nurses and pharmacists across one private and two public hospitals in Australia. Thematic analysis was guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and the Capabilities, Opportunities, Motivators-Behaviour (COM-B) model.

Results

Fourteen focus groups and one paired interview were completed. Ten of the fourteen TDF domains were identified as relevant. Thematic analysis revealed six significant themes mapped to the COM-B model, and subthemes mapped to the relevant TDF domains in a combined framework. Key themes identified were: 1) Low priority for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis prescribing skills; 2) Prescriber autonomy takes precedence over guideline compliance; 3) Social codes of prescribing reinforce established practices; 4) Need for improved communication, documentation and collection of data for action; 5) Fears and perceptions of risk hinder appropriate SAP prescribing; and 6) Lack of clarity regarding roles and accountability.

Conclusions

SAP prescribing is a complex process that involves multiple professions across the pre-, intra- and post-operative surgical settings. The utilisation of behaviour change frameworks to identify barriers and enablers to optimal SAP prescribing supports future development of theory-informed antimicrobial stewardship interventions. Interventions should aim to increase surgeon engagement, enhance the prioritisation of and accountability for SAP, and address the underlying social factors involved in SAP decision-making, such as professional hierarchy and varied perceptions or risks and fears.

Appropriateness of Surgical Antimicrobial Prophylaxis Practices in Australia

IMPORTANCE

Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) is a common indication for antibiotic use in hospitals and is associated with high rates of inappropriateness.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the SAP prescribing practices and assess hospital, surgical, and patient factors associated with appropriate SAP prescribing.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Multicenter, national, quality improvement study with retrospective analysis of data collected from Australian hospitals via Surgical National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey audits from January 1, 2016, to June 30, 2018. Data were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. Crude estimates of appropriateness were adjusted for factors included in the model by calculating estimated marginal means and presented as adjusted-appropriateness with 95% confidence intervals.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Adjusted appropriateness and factors associated with inappropriate prescriptions.

RESULTS

A total of 9351 surgical episodes and 15 395 prescriptions (10 740 procedural and 4655 postprocedural) were analyzed. Crude appropriateness of total prescriptions was 48.7% (7492 prescriptions). The adjusted appropriateness of each surgical procedure group was low for procedural SAP, ranging from 33.7% (95% CI, 26.3%-41.2%) for dentoalveolar surgery to 68.9% (95% CI, 63.2%-74.5%) for neurosurgery. The adjusted appropriateness of postprocedural prescriptions was also low, ranging from 21.5% (95% CI, 13.4%-29.7%) for breast surgery to 58.7% (95% CI, 47.9%-69.4%) for ophthalmological procedures. The most common reason for inappropriate procedural SAP was incorrect timing (44.9%), while duration greater than 24 hours was the most common reason for inappropriate postprocedural SAP (54.3%).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

High rates of inappropriate procedural and postprocedural antimicrobial use were demonstrated across all surgical specialties. Reasons for inappropriateness, such as timing and duration, varied according to the type of SAP and surgical specialty. These findings highlight the need for improvement in SAP prescribing and suggest potential targeted areas for action.

Compliance Rate of Surgical Antimicrobial Prophylaxis and its Association with Knowledge of Guidelines Among Surgical Residents in a Tertiary Care Public Hospital of a Developing Country

Introduction Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) means the administration of antibiotics in surgical practice, and it reduces the likelihood of surgical site infections (SSIs). Inappropriate SAP practice regarding the prescription, timing, and duration of antibiotic use prolongs the hospital stay of patients, increases patient morbidity (by exposing them to the adverse effects of antibiotics), promotes bacterial resistance, and puts an economic burden on health care. While developed countries regularly monitor and revise their SAP protocols, there are only a few such researches in developing countries, which is a major setback to proper surgical care. Objectives of the study This study aims to compare the practice of SAP in a tertiary health care hospital of a developing country Pakistan, with internationally recommended protocols and evaluate the impact of knowledge of international guidelines on SAP practice. The results of the study will highlight important shortcomings in prophylactic practice in the hospital and help develop recommendations to improve SAP practice and ensure better surgical care for patients. Materials and methods An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted in the general surgery unit of Holy Family Hospital (HFH), Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from March 2017 to November 2017 during which antimicrobial prophylaxis of 150 general surgery procedures was documented on the basis of six international SAP criteria, which were "indication for use of prophylaxis, timing of preoperative dose, choice of drug, route of administration, duration of postoperative prophylaxis, and the assessment of beta-lactam allergy." The compliance rate (number of procedures following all the six criteria) was calculated for each operating surgical resident. A questionnaire was formulated that assessed the knowledge of 33 surgical residents working at that time regarding the above- mentioned six variables of SAP by six close-ended questions. Their responses were then compared to their compliance rate by chi-square analysis and binary logistic regression in SPSS version 23 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY, US). A p-value of less than or equal to 0.05 was considered significant. The required ethical approval was obtained from the departmental heads as well as institutional research forum. Results Seventy-four of 150 observed procedures followed all the six international criteria of SAP, giving a compliance rate of 49.33%. Seventeen out of 33 (51%) surgical residents were aware of the guidelines. A chi-square analysis revealed a highly significant association between the awareness of guidelines and the number of compliant procedures performed by a resident (p<0.000). Forty-five out of 74 compliant procedures were performed by residents who were aware of the guidelines (61% of compliant procedures). The odds ratio for awareness and correct prophylaxis was 4.064 (p<0.000). Conclusions The study indicates an overall low compliance rate of 49.33% regarding surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) practice in a public health care hospital of a developing country. The most common cause of non-compliance was prolonged postoperative prophylaxis. This study also shows that the knowledge of international guidelines significantly improves the prophylaxis practice by about four times. Hence, proper SAP compliance rate can be increased by actively educating and monitoring surgical residents.

Antibiotic usage in surgical prophylaxis: A prospective observational study in the surgical ward of Nekemte referral hospital

BACKGROUND

Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis guidelines are considered as important interventional tools for antimicrobial resistance. Guideline compliance was poor across different countries and thus results in an inappropriate and overuse of antibiotics.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the selection, timing and duration of prophylactic antibiotic administration among surgical patients in Nekmte referral hospital.

METHOD

Prospective, facility based cross-sectional study was conducted from 1st April to 30th June 2017. Data were collected using data abstraction format among surgical inpatients prescribed with surgical antibiotic prophylaxis. Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis guidelines were used as data assessment protocols. SPSS version 21.0 was used for data entry and analysis. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used for analysis.

RESULTS

The median age of the study participants was 35.0 (IQR: 25-50) years with the preponderance (58.8%) of male patients. The median hospitalization period was 8.0 (IQR: 5-11) days. Majority of the participants were from the general surgical ward (60.1%). About 43% of the procedures were clean. Most of the surgical cases were gastrointestinal (39.2%). Only 10.6% of the drug selections comply with American Society of Health-System Pharmacists guideline. Surprisingly, none of the selections were compliant to the national Standard Treatment Guideline of the country. About 84% of the study participants received ceftriaxone. Majority of the prophylactic antibiotics (75.8%) were administered for greater than 24 hours and above half (52.3%) of the antibiotics were administered preoperatively. Emergent surgery procedures (AOR = 2.89, 95% CI: (1.09-9.10) and being a male patient (AOR = 3.10, 95% CI: 1.07-8.98) were associated with inappropriate preoperative antibiotic administration. Patients admitted to the gynecology and obstetrics ward was less likely to receive surgical prophylaxis for greater than 24 hours (AOR = 0.07, 95% CI: 0.01-0.81).

CONCLUSION

Surgical antibiotic compliance was far below the guideline recommendation. Patients admitted in the gynecology and obstetrics ward were more likely to comply with the surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis duration recommendation. The timing was most likely to be inappropriate among male patients and patients on emergent surgery. Availability and awareness creation on the antibiotic drugs and the guidelines were important interventions recommended for appropriate surgical antimicrobial use.

Assessment of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis in Orthopaedics and Traumatology Surgical Unit of a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital in Addis Ababa

BACKGROUND

Prophylactic antimicrobials have a starring role in prevention of surgical site infection. This study assesses the practice of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) and development of surgical site infection (SSI) based on patient chart review in patients who underwent surgery in the Orthopaedics and Traumatology Surgical Unit of Tikur Anbesa Specialized Hospital (TASH).

RESULTS

Majority of the patients 144 (72%) were males. 108 (54%) of the surgical wounds were clean and 63 (31%) were clean contaminated. 160 (80%) patients received preoperative prophylaxis, of these 153 (96%) received postoperative prophylaxis as well. 34 (17%) patients did not receive preoperative antimicrobial prophylaxis, while 6 (3%) patients had no record about preoperative antimicrobial prophylaxis. Among those who received preoperative antimicrobial prophylaxis the time of administration was not recorded in 87 (54%) of the patient charts and 36 (23%) patients had preoperative antimicrobial prophylaxis greater than 2 h prior to incision. Among the 188 (94%) patients that received postoperative antimicrobial prophylaxis; the duration of administration was more than 72 h in 114 (61%) patients, while only 8 (4%) received for less than 24 h after surgery. Ceftriaxone 309 (70%) was the most prescribed agent for prophylaxis. 32 (16%) patients developed surgical site of infection. Using odds ratio age equal to or above 50, clean contaminated and contaminated surgical wounds were not statistically associated with increased risk of SSI.

CONCLUSION

Most patients who underwent surgery received prophylactic antimicrobials; nevertheless, the practice was not aligned with standard guidelines' recommendations and patients developed surgical site infections.

Incidence and predictors of surgical site infection in Ethiopia: prospective cohort

BACKGROUND

Surgical site infections are commonest nosocomial infections and responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality as well as increased hospitalizations and treatment cost related to surgical operations. The aim of this study was to determine incidence and predictors of surgical site infections at surgical ward of Hawassa University Referral Hospital, Southern Ethiopia.

METHODS

We performed prospective study involving 105 patients that undergone major surgical procedure at Hawassa University Referral Hospital from March 2 to May 2, 2015. Data were extracted from paper based medical charts, operational and anesthesia note, by direct observation and patients' interview. All patients were followed daily before, during and after operation for 30 days starting from the date of operation. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) for window version 20.0 software. Predictors of Surgical site infections were identified using multivariable logistic regression model. P-value less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

RESULT

We studied 105 patients. Sixty four patients (61%) were males. The mean age of the patients was 30.85 ± 17.72 years. The mean Body Mass Index (BMI) was 21.6 ± 4 kg/m2. Twenty patients (19.1%) developed surgical site infections. Age greater than 40 years, AOR = 7.7(95% CI [1.610-40.810 p = 0.016,]), preoperative hospital stay more than 7 days, AOR = 22.4(95% CI [4.544-110.780, p = 0.001]), duration of operation more than 1 hour, AOR = 8.01(95% CI [1.562-41.099, p = 0.013]) and administering antimicrobial prophylaxis before 1 hour of operation, AOR = 11.1 (95% CI [1.269-75.639, p = 0.014]) were independent predictors for surgical site infections.

CONCLUSION

Surgical site infection is relatively high.

Antimicrobial Stewardship: A Call to Action for Surgeons

Despite current antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) being advocated by infectious disease specialists and discussed by national and international policy makers, ASPs coverage remains limited to only certain hospitals as well as specific service lines within hospitals. The ASPs incorporate a variety of strategies to optimize antimicrobial agent use in the hospital, yet the exact set of interventions essential to ASP success remains unknown. Promotion of ASPs across clinical practice is crucial to their success to ensure standardization of antimicrobial agent use within an institution. To effectively accomplish this standardization, providers who actively engage in antimicrobial agent prescribing should participate in the establishment and support of these programs. Hence, surgeons need to play a major role in these collaborations. Surgeons must be aware that judicious antibiotic utilization is an integral part of any stewardship program and necessary to maximize clinical cure and minimize emergence of antimicrobial resistance. The battle against antibiotic resistance should be fought by all healthcare professionals. If surgeons around the world participate in this global fight and demonstrate awareness of the major problem of antimicrobial resistance, they will be pivotal leaders. If surgeons fail to actively engage and use antibiotics judiciously, they will find themselves deprived of the autonomy to treat their patients.

Antibiotic Consumption During a 4-year Period in a Community Hospital with an Antimicrobial Stewardship Program

OBJECTIVES

We sought to evaluate the trend of antibiotic consumption in patients admitted to a community hospital in Qatar with an antimicrobial stewardship program.

METHODS

This observational study was carried out in a 75-bed facility in Western Qatar over a 4-year period (2012-2015). The monitoring of antimicrobial consumption from inpatient wards was performed from the pharmacy records and presented as defined daily dose (DDD) divided by the patient days and expressed as 100 bed-days (DBD).

RESULTS

The consumption of antimicrobials in 2012 was 171.3 DBD, and increased to 252.7 DBD in 2013, 229.1 DBD in 2014, and 184.7 DBD in 2015. Cephalosporins use reduced from 98.2 DBD in 2013 to 51.5 DBD in 2015 while the consumption of penicillins increased during the beginning of 2014 with a slight decrease in 2015. Carbapenems consumption during 2014-2015 was lower than previous years, and vice-versa for aminoglycosides. Fluoroquinolones had a sustained increase with 37.1% increased consumption in 2015 compared to the two previous years. There was an increase in the use of intravenous (IV) (108.5%) and oral azithromycin (55.1%) and the use of oral (152.8%) and IV moxifloxacin (22.9%).

CONCLUSIONS

We observed a decrease in antibiotic use in patients admitted to a community hospital with an antimicrobial stewardship program, but the increase in fluoroquinolones consumption is a concern that requires focused strategies.

Improvement in Adherence to Surgical Antimicrobial Prophylaxis Guidelines after Implementation of a Multidisciplinary Quality Improvement Project

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to show the impact of a multidisciplinary quality improvement project on adherence to antimicrobial prophylaxis guidelines in oncological surgery.

METHODS

This pre- and post-intervention prospective observational study was carried out at the King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC) in Amman, Jordan, between August 2009 and February 2012. The quality improvement project consisted of revising the institutional guidelines for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis, assigning a clinical pharmacist to the surgical department, establishing an operating room satellite pharmacy and providing education regarding the appropriate utilisation of antibiotics. The medical records of adult cancer patients who underwent surgery were evaluated one month before and one month after the project was implemented to assess adherence to the guidelines with regards to antibiotics prescribed, drug doses and timing and treatment duration.

RESULTS

A total of 70 patients were evaluated before and 97 patients were evaluated after the intervention, of which 57 (81.4%) and 95 (97.9%) patients received antibiotics, respectively. In comparing the pre- and post-intervention groups, an improvement was observed in the proportion of patients who received antibiotics at the appropriate time (n = 12 versus n = 79; 21.1% versus 83.2%; P <0.01), for the appropriate duration of time (n = 22 versus n = 94; 38.6% versus 99.0%; P <0.01) and in the appropriate dose (n = 9 versus n = 87; 56.3% versus 98.9%; P <0.01).

CONCLUSION

Adherence to the antimicrobial prophylaxis guidelines at KHCC improved significantly after the implementation of a quality improvement project.

Attitudes of Nigerian orthopaedic surgeons to the use of prophylactic antibiotics

PURPOSE

Inappropriate use of prophylactic antibiotics can increase the rates of surgical site wound infections, lead to the development of resistant organisms and to increased health care costs. Despite widespread knowledge of standard antibiotic prophylaxis protocols (SAPs) in implant surgeries, it is thought that many Nigerian surgeons do not comply. The purpose of this study was to determine the awareness of Nigerian orthopaedic surgeons of SAPs in implant surgeries and their compliance.

METHODS

This was an observational study done using a questionnaire to collect data from orthopaedic surgeons at the National Orthopaedic Association annual conference held at Lokoja, Nigeria in November 2013.

RESULTS

There were 66 respondents divided into 56 consultants and ten surgical residents. Most respondents were aware of standard guidelines for the use of prophylactic antibiotics (86.36 %). Many of them (63.63 %) did not know the average rate of infection following implant surgery in their institutions. Compliance with SAPs was found to be 30.3 %. Compliance was worse among surgeons between 41 and 50 years of age and consultants with between six and ten years of practice.

CONCLUSIONS

Most respondents are aware of standard antibiotic protocols, but do not comply with them. The study also suggests that surgeons with intermediate levels of experience and those between 41 and 50 years of age were most unlikely to comply.

Adherence to American society of health-system pharmacists surgical antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines in a teaching hospital

Objective:

Surgical site infections are the second most common type of adverse events occurring in hospitalized patients, whereas an estimated 40-60% of these infections are thought to be preventable. Choice of regimen, administration timing or duration of antibiotic prophylaxis is reported to be inappropriate in approximately 25-50% of cases. We tried to evaluate an antibiotic administration pattern for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis in a teaching hospital.

Methods:

This study was conducted at the general surgery and orthopedic wards of a teaching hospital affiliated with Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. The medical records of admitted patients who underwent different surgical procedures were reviewed. Compliance was assessed with the recommendations of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists' guidelines for every aspect of antibiotic prophylaxis. All data were coded and analyzed by SPSS16 software using Student's t-test and Chi-square test.

Findings:

During 1 year, 759 patients who underwent different surgeries were included in the study. Mean age of patients was 32.02 ± 18.79 years. Hand and foot fractures repair were the most frequent surgery types. About 56.4% of administered prophylactic antibiotics were in accordance with the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) guidelines regarding prophylaxis indication. The most commonly antibiotic used was cefazolin and antibiotic choices were appropriate in 104 of 168 surgical procedures (62%). Gentamicin, metronidazole and ceftriaxone were the most frequently antibiotics that used inappropriately. Only in 100 of 168 procedures, duration was concordant with the ASHP guideline, whereas in 68 procedures, duration was longer than recommended time. In 98 procedures, the dose was lower and in one procedure, it was higher than recommended doses.

Conclusion:

Although such guidelines have been in place for many years, studies showed that much inappropriate antibiotic use as prophylaxis and poor adherence to guidelines are still major issues. It is essential for surgeons to be aware to consider the best antibiotic choices, dose and duration based on reliable guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis.