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

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.