Systematic review and evidence-based guidance on perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis

Perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) has been shown to be an effective measure for preventing surgical site infections (SSIs). The use of PAP contributes considerably to the total amount of antibiotics used in hospitals and has been shown to be associated with increases in antibiotic resistance and healthcare costs. Because of the benefits of PAP and the importance of using it correctly, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) issued a call for tender entitled 'Systematic review and evidence-based guidance on perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis'. The objectives of this project were: 1) to identify the effectiveness of key modalities of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis from a systematic review and 2) to develop five key PAP modalities and process indicators for monitoring their implementation on the basis of scientific evidence and expert opinion.