# Perception and application of pre-operative surgical antibiotic prophylaxis by physicians

## TL;DR

This study examines how well different medical professionals understand and apply pre-surgery antibiotics to prevent infections.

## Contribution

The study highlights knowledge gaps and performance differences among various medical professionals regarding antibiotic use.

## Key findings

- Senior surgeons scored highest in SAP knowledge (84.37%).
- General practitioners scored lowest (34.37%) compared to other groups.
- There is a need to improve professional conduct and interpersonal skills among medical practitioners.

## Abstract

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most common and prevalent complications occurring post-operatively leading to additional
costs to the health care system. Hence, medical interns, general practitioners, surgical residents and surgeons who meet the inclusion
criteria were included in this cross-sectional study. Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) was recorded using a structured
questionnaire. Data shows that senior surgeons, scored highest and of the 21 surgical residents, 25 medical interns and 6 GPs the
performances varied with overall averages of 84.37%, 76.56% and 34.37%, respectively. This implies that medical practitioners demonstrate
robust medical knowledge and practical skills, but there is scope to cultivate their professional conduct and interpersonal
competencies.