Good medical practices in the use of antibiotic prophylaxis in a surgery ward: Results of a 2013 Apulian study

This study describes the changes in the performance of health care workers regarding the control of health care-associated infection in a surgical ward of University Hospital Policlinico, Bari, Italy, before and after a training program and adoption of bundles on antibiotic therapy. There were 194 patients recruited (pre: n = 98; post: n = 96), of which 149 (76.8%) had undergone surgery. We documented a change in the proportions of patients who received in-ward prophylactic antibiotics (from 46/98 to 22/96, P < .05), surgical patients undergoing antibiotic prophylaxis in the operating room (from 18/64 to 36/85, P < .05), and average duration of prophylaxis (from 5.9 ± 4.9 to 2.9 ± 2.7 days, P < .0001). Results confirmed correspondence between the intervention and results recorded.