An Observational Study of Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Surgical Inpatients at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Background: The study aimed to assess antibiotic prophylaxis in surgery by observing the prescribing pattern, analysing the time of administration in relation to surgery incision, categorising the types of surgery, evaluating the incidence of surgical site infection, and comparing the prescribed prophylaxis with hospital policy. Methods: In our study, 120 patients admitted to the general ward for surgery were included. The data was collected in a predesigned Profoma from surgery booklets and medication charts. The collected data included demographics, pre- and post-antibiotics, incision time, duration of surgery, and category of surgery. The data was compiled and entered in the excel. Results: In this study, we evaluated 120 patients; among them, 68.33% received prophylaxis according to hospital guidelines, where beta-lactam (63.91%) was the most commonly prescribed antibiotic, followed by metronidazole (25.55%). SSI was observed in 12% of patients. The rate of SSI was higher in prolonged surgeries and when the prophylactic antibiotic was administered more than 30 minutes before surgery. Non-adherence to guidelines had a higher risk of infection, highlighting the importance of timing and adherence to guidelines for preventing infections. Conclusions: According to our study, the most commonly prescribed antibiotics were beta-lactams, followed by metronidazole. The administration timing of the antibiotic is important because early or delayed administration of the antibiotic increases the incidence of SSI. This study highlights the importance of strategic antibiotic prophylaxis to minimise the risk of SSIs and the need to improve adherence to guidelines for better patient outcomes in surgical settings.