ADHERENCE TO SURGICAL ANTIBIOTIC PROPHYLAXIS GUIDELINES BEFORE SURGERY IN CANCER PATIENTS: A RETROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY CONDUCTED IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL OF OMAN

Abstract
Background: Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) is the administration of antibiotics before surgery to prevent incidences of surgical site infections (SSI) post-operatively. This study aimed to assess the level of adherence to SAP guidelines at tertiary hospital in Oman. It also aimed to investigate whether there was a relation between adherence to SAP guidelines and incidences of SSIs. Materials & Methods: The methodology consisted of retrospectively reviewing the patient files from August 2022 to August 2023. The primary data collected consisted of antibiotics used, the timing of administration, redosing, and dosage. The secondary objective investigated the impact of non-adherence on SSI incidences and assessed adherence rate across different surgical programme. Results: The adherence rate of the institute was found to be 18.6% and there was no statistical significance between adherence to SAP guidelines and prevalence of SSIs (p = 0.3). Cefazoline is found to be the most commonly prescribed (94.4 %) antibiotic due to its cost-effectiveness and safety profile. Conclusion: The study highlights variations in adherence to SAP guidelines and concludes that non-adherence is not always the primary cause of SSIs among cancer patients. Other patient-related and operational factors also play significant roles in the occurrence of SSIs.

Author
Shahid Jamil,

DOI
https://doi.org/1046903/gjms/24.2.2231

ISSN

Publish Date: 2026-06-28