Adult penicillin allergy programmes in Australian hospitals: a practical guide from the National Antibiotic Allergy Network.

Penicillin allergy is a significant burden on patient, prescribing and hospital outcomes. There has been increasing interest in the incorporation of penicillin allergy testing (i.e.

Surgical site infection prophylaxis: what have we learned and are we making progress?

Purpose Of Review: This review aims to discuss the current state of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) evidence for surgical site infection prevention. Despite decades of research, knowledge gaps persist in identifying optimal SAP regimens.

Recent Findings: Recent randomised controlled trials highlight ongoing heterogeneity in study design.

Factors associated with antimicrobial choice for surgical prophylaxis in Australia.

Background: Cefazolin is the most commonly recommended antimicrobial for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP). However, the Australian Surgical National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey revealed a wide range of antimicrobials prescribed for SAP. Inappropriate use of broad-spectrum antimicrobials is associated with increased patient harm and is a posited driver for antimicrobial resistance.

Appropriateness of Surgical Antimicrobial Prophylaxis Practices in Australia.

Importance: Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) is a common indication for antibiotic use in hospitals and is associated with high rates of inappropriateness.

Objective: To describe the SAP prescribing practices and assess hospital, surgical, and patient factors associated with appropriate SAP prescribing.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Multicenter, national, quality improvement study with retrospective analysis of data collected from Australian hospitals via Surgical National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey audits from January 1, 2016, to June 30, 2018.