Knowledge on The Criteria for Preoperative Antibiotics Administration- A Questionnaire Survey

Abstract

Antibiotics have been used for prophylaxis in surgical patients with the hope of reducing the rate of postoperative wound infections. Animal studies first defined the scientific basis for the preoperative use of antimicrobial agents in the prophylaxis of surgical wound infection. A survey was conducted amongst the undergraduate students in Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals. A total of 145 responses were obtained from the students. The questionnaire was prepared and circulated among the undergraduate students. Results were analysed and compared using the SPSS Statistical Software by doing both the frequency tests and correlation tests. The participants included 28 (19.3%) third years, 35 (24.1%) final years and 82 (56.6%) interns. Regarding the awareness on surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP), this study showed that 75 (51.7%) were somewhat aware of SAP while 39 (26.9%) had no awareness about the topic and 31 (21.4%) were fully aware of it. When the association between the year of study and the awareness of SAP criteria was analysed, it showed statistical significance (p=0.05). Within the limits of our study, undergraduates of Saveetha Dental College showed an average understanding about the general knowledge of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) and its criterias.