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. 2022 Mar 1;10(3):464.
doi: 10.3390/healthcare10030464.

Implementing an Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme to Improve Adherence to a Perioperative Prophylaxis Guideline

Nehad J Ahmed  1   2 , Ziyad S Almalki  1 , Abdullah A Alfaifi  1 , Ahmed M Alshehri  1 , Abdullah K Alahmari  1 , Emad Elazab  3 , Alaa Almansour  4 , Abdul Haseeb  5 , Mohamed F Balaha  1   6 , Amer H Khan  2
Affiliations

Implementing an Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme to Improve Adherence to a Perioperative Prophylaxis Guideline

Nehad J Ahmed et al. Healthcare (Basel). .

Abstract

Perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis is effective in reducing the rate of surgical site infections (SSIs); however, non-adherence to surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis protocols can lead to several negative outcomes. We performed a before-and-after intervention study with the aim of improving the process outcome, including adherence to guidelines. Another objective of this study was to investigate improvement in patient outcomes as a result of adherence to a surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis programme. The indicators of improved patient outcomes were a reduction in overall SSI rate and the decreased cost of antibiotics. SSI rate was calculated as a percentage by dividing the number of SSIs by the total number of surgeries and then multiplying the value obtained by 100%. The interventions implemented in the surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis programme included establishment of a guideline, educational sessions, and a monthly revision of prescriptions. Our findings show that implementation of the interventions resulted in reduced antibiotic consumption, a considerable decrease in the cost of prophylaxis, and a decrease in the incidence of SSIs.

Keywords: antimicrobial stewardship; surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis; surgical site infection.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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