Abstract

Objective:
This quality improvement project aimed to work towards achieving more than 80% compliance with correct preoperative antibiotic administration timing within four months.
Methods:
Data obtained from the operating room (OR) during a four-month period from February to September, 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients who underwent elective surgery were included in the study. Therefore, the recovery room (RR) was used as a holding area to ensure that the patients received antibiotic prophylaxis at the appropriate time. The ward nurse endorsed the patients along with the antibiotic prophylaxis, which was then administered by the OR nurse under the supervision and monitoring of an anesthesia physician. A clear procedure guideline was written in the form of a flowchart to be followed pre-surgery.
Results:
There was an increase in the mean correctly timed administration of preoperative antimicrobial prophylaxis from 59.6% at baseline to 81.45% during the post-intervention period (P = 0.013).
Conclusion:
Using the RR as a holding area helped us to achieve more than 80% compliance with correct preoperative antimicrobial prophylaxis timing. It also brought us closer to achieve 100% on-time compliance with preoperative antibiotic administration.

Key words: Surgical prophylaxis, preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis, preoperative prophylaxis timing, compliance.