[Performance of antibiotic prophylaxis in our Urologic Department].

INTRODUCTION

The rate of surgical site infection is a good indicator of the quality of care in surgical departments. Antibiotic prophylaxis represents a measure of proven efficiency in preventing the infection in a surgical site, and its fulfilment is a main goal in management contracts of health services. The efficiency of this preventive measure requires the existence of updated protocols and performance evaluation.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the compliance of this antibiotic protocol in our Urology Department with the global analysis of the causes of inadequate prophylaxis and by procedures.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

The Department of Preventive Medicine as an outside observer, through a retrospective study, analyzed 695 urological surgical procedures (inpatient and outpatient) during the years 2003 and 2006 for its annual assessment of compliance with the antibiotic prophylaxis protocol. Administration of non-indicated prophylaxis, non-administration of indicated prophylaxis and incorrect dosage are considered as inappropriate prophylaxis.

RESULTS

The compliance of the protocol was appropriate in 83.16% of the operations. The cause of the most frequent inadequacy was an incorrect pattern in 15.3%. Within this incorrect pattern the main reason was the delay of administration of prophylactic antibiotic and to a lesser extent an incorrect length of the antibiotic regime.

CONCLUSIONS

The percentage of compliance with the antibiotic protocol in our Urology Department is high. The evaluation detected two problems of a different nature and solution: to adapt the timing of antibiotics is a functional, structural and organizational problem to be resolved in accordance with the Anaesthesiology Department. The number of doses of antibiotics in open prostate surgery requires knowledge and strict adherence to the guidelines by the surgeons. The efficiency of antibiotic prophylaxis requires the existence of appropriated and updated protocols for the unifications of criteria among professionals to detect new problems as well as to find solutions for its adequate compliance.