title: Preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis practice and guideline adherence in Jordan: a multi-centre study in Jordanian hospitals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The use of antimicrobial prophylaxis for surgical procedures is one of the measures employed to prevent the development of surgical site infections (SSI). The appropriate choice of antimicrobial agents, dosage regimen, timing, duration and use of intravenous route must be evidence based. This study aimed to assess the practice of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis and adherence of practitioners to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) guidelines for antimicrobial prophylaxis in surgery and to explore reasons for non-compliance.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted in 20 Jordanian hospitals from October 2006 to June 2007. A questionnaire was designed to collect information from physicians regarding the practice of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP), references used for guiding SAP practice, prevalence of surgical site infection (SSI), and causative microorganisms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  SAP was employed in almost all surgical departments of hospitals. The improper timing of antimicrobial administration for SAP was attributed to lack of knowledge of the guidelines (46.1%), while the improper antimicrobial choice was ascribed to drug unavailability (61.8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that physicians are aware of the importance of antimicrobial prophylaxis before surgical procedures. However, further efforts are needed to ensure the implementation of the standard SAP guidelines in Jordanian hospitals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan. sayerazzam@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Sayer I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Al-Azzam
authors.forename: Karem H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Alzoubi
authors.forename: Nizar M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Mhaidat
authors.forename: Rania D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Haddadin
authors.forename: Majed M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Masadeh
authors.forename: Haitham N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Tumah
authors.forename: Arabieh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Magableh
authors.forename: Noor K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Maraqa
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis / Q000379:methods*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007597:Jordan; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents