<p>Appropriate use of perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis (PAP) is essential to attain optimal patient outcomes; inappropriate dose, timing, and drug choice can increase the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs). Although the appropriateness of PAP use in children regarding the selection of antimicrobial agents and duration of PAP has been studied in Greece, no published data regarding the timing and intraoperative redosing of PAP are available. Moreover, to our knowledge, data are limited regarding PAP timing and redosing in pediatric surgical populations worldwide.</p>

<p>In this study, we assessed the timing of administration of PAP and the need for redosing in pediatric patients in Greece, and we sought to determine adherence to published guidelines.</p>

<p><strong>BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: </strong>Appropriate antimicrobial prophylaxis (PAP) prevents surgical site infections (SSI). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention to improve adherence to PAP guidelines in pediatric patients.</p>

<p><strong>METHODS: </strong>A three-phase prospective study with a pre-post design was conducted from April 2013 to December 2014. All patients who underwent one or more surgical procedures were enrolled. A modified Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) Denominator for Procedure form was used to collect clinical and PAP data. The educational intervention was targeted at all pediatric surgeons in the department. Outcomes assessed were the appropriateness of the agent selected for PAP (according to international guidelines) and appropriate termination of PAP within 24h of surgery completion. SSI rates were calculated before and after the intervention.</p>

<p><strong>RESULTS: </strong>During the study period 889 children were enrolled (219 in the preintervention and 670 in the postintervention period). The percentage of patients receiving appropriate PAP improved from 6.2% to 77.1% after the educational intervention (p&lt;0.001). The median duration of PAP was reduced from 5 to 1days in preintervention and postintervention period, respectively. There was no increase in the rate of SSIs (0.93% and 0.92%, p=0.992, in preinterventionand postintervention, respectively).</p>

<p><strong>CONCLUSIONS: </strong>An educational intervention targeted at pediatric surgeons improved the selection of agent and timely discontinuation of PAP.</p>