Major articleAntimicrobial stewardship to optimize the use of antimicrobials for surgical prophylaxis in Egypt: A multicenter pilot intervention study

- This is the first study to measure the impact of antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in Egypt.
- An intervention was piloted to optimize perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis.
- Education is a core component of an AMS program.
- Auditing prescription and feedback maximize the impact of AMS.
- More studies are needed to identify effective AMS strategies in Egypt.

ObjectiveTo measure the impact of an antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) program on the use of antibiotics for surgical prophylaxis at acute care hospitals in Egypt.MethodsThis was a before-and-after intervention study conducted in 5 tertiary, acute-care surgical hospitals. The baseline, intervention, and follow-up periods were 3, 6, and 3 months, respectively. The impact of the intervention was measured by preintervention and postintervention surveys for surgical patients with clean and clean-contaminated wounds. Information was collected on demographic characteristics and antibiotic use. The intervention focused mainly on educating surgical staff on the optimal timing and duration of antibiotics used for surgical prophylaxis. Only 3 hospitals identified a surgeon to audit antibiotic surgical prescriptions. The primary outcome measures were the percentages of surgical patients receiving optimal timing and duration of surgical prophylaxis.ResultsData were collected for 745 patients before the intervention and for 558 patients after the intervention. The optimal timing of the first dose improved significantly in 3 hospitals, increasing from 6.7% to 38.7% (P < .01), from 2.6% to 15.2% (P < .01), and from 0% to 11% (P < .01). All hospitals showed a significant rise in the optimal duration of surgical prophylaxis, with an overall increase of 3%-28% (P < .01). Days of therapy per 1000 patient-days were decreased significantly in hospitals A, B, C, and D, with no change in hospital E.ConclusionsAn AMS program focusing on education supported by auditing and feedback can have a significant impact on optimizing antibiotic use in surgical prophylaxis practices.