Infection Prevention in Practice
Improving surgical antibiotic prophylaxis in obstetric and gynaecological surgery: a prospective two-cycle quality-improvement clinical audit in a North African tertiary hospital
By Ikram Hajjar, Fatma Sellami, Mariem Znati and 9 others.
Abstract
Summary: Background: Inappropriate surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP), particularly continuation beyond the recommended prophylactic period, increases avoidable antimicrobial exposure and is a key target for infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship.
Methods
A prospective two-cycle targeted clinical audit evaluated 60 eligible procedures included consecutively during active audit observation periods (30 baseline and 30 postintervention) in an obstetric and gynaecological operating theatre of a North African tertiary hospital. Criteria were based on French Haute Autorité de Santé audit tools and Société Française d’Anesthésie et de Réanimation/ Société de Pathologie Infectieuse de Langue Française recommendations. The primary outcome was SAP duration compliant with procedure-specific guidance. The multi-faceted intervention comprised protocol revision and validation, point-of-care access, multi-disciplinary training, visual reminders, role clarification, and surveillance tools.
