Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis Duration

Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxis Duration

Written by Marie Philbin, Chief Antimicrobial Pharmacist, National Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control Team

HSE recently published a position statement on duration of surgical antibiotic prophylaxis. In addition, this was developed by the HSE Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control Team (AMRIC), the HSE Antimicrobial Stewardship Advisory Group & the National Clinical Programme for Surgery (NCPS). HSE national clinical programmes and the postgraduate training bodies for surgery, anaesthesia and obstetrics also provided valuable feedback. This was in the joint development of this document. Therefore the extensive process of consultation means this document represents a consensus opinion of experts in this field in Ireland. The key stakeholders support it.

The acute hospital setting see the position statement, alongside the suite of support resources as a valuable tool to support best practice. In conclusion, it provides a nationally agreed platform for quality improvement.

The establishment of the HSE Antimicrobial Resistance and Infection Control (AMRIC) team is to ensure the control of healthcare associated infection in addition to the antimicrobial resistance.

The AMRIC team provide guidance and operational support to HSE in relation to antimicrobial stewardship and infection control. This is by supporting the work of the HSE AMRIC Implementation Team and AMRIC HSE Oversight group.

Resources, unless otherwise specified, are available on at this link: bit.ly/3eGoCKw at www.antibioticprescribing.ie

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