Perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis in pediatric patients in Greece: Compliance with guidelines and impact of an educational intervention

Background/PurposeAppropriate antimicrobial prophylaxis (PAP) prevents surgical site infections (SSI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention to improve adherence to PAP guidelines in pediatric patients.MethodsA three-phase prospective study with a pre-post design was conducted from April 2013 to December 2014. All patients who underwent one or more surgical procedures were enrolled. A modified Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) Denominator for Procedure form was used to collect clinical and PAP data. The educational intervention was targeted at all pediatric surgeons in the department. Outcomes assessed were the appropriateness of the agent selected for PAP (according to international guidelines) and appropriate termination of PAP within 24 h of surgery completion. SSI rates were calculated before and after the intervention.ResultsDuring the study period 889 children were enrolled (219 in the preintervention and 670 in the postintervention period). The percentage of patients receiving appropriate PAP improved from 6.2% to 77.1% after the educational intervention (p < 0.001). The median duration of PAP was reduced from 5 to 1 days in preintervention and postintervention period, respectively. There was no increase in the rate of SSIs (0.93% and 0.92%, p = 0.992, in preinterventionand postintervention, respectively).ConclusionsAn educational intervention targeted at pediatric surgeons improved the selection of agent and timely discontinuation of PAP.