Prophylatic Antibiotic Administration Prior to Surgery [Poster]

Abstract

Perioperative infection is a significant risk for patients undergoing surgery. It is standard practice to administer prophylactic antibiotics to prevent infection. However, the timing and dosage of antibiotics varies in practice. We conducted an evidencebased practice project to find out whether multi dose prophylactic antibiotics are more effective at decreasing infection than single dose prophylactic antibiotics. The research was conducted using (specifify databases here)digital databases to find studies related to the effectiveness of multi vs single dose prophylactic antibiotics. Research suggests that multi dose antibiotics are no more effective than a single dose antibiotic given 30-60 minutes prior to incision time. Administering single dose antibiotics instead of multiple dose antibiotics may decrease the risk of antibiotic resistance as well as cost, in surgical patients. However, it is imperative for the nurse to give the single does antibiotic within a 30-60 minute window before surgery. [Poster]