Use of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis and magnitude of surgical site infections among surgical patients at Hiwot Fana Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Harar, Ethiopia

Background Surgical site infections (SSIs) remain a common complication after surgery, particularly in low-resource settings. This study assessed the use of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP) and the magnitude of SSI among Surgical patients at Hiwot Fana Comprehensive Specialised Hospital, Harar, Ethiopia.

A hospital-based retrospective chart review was conducted among 297 randomly selected patient records from November 2022 to October 2023. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression to identify factors associated wth SSI.

SAP was administered to 96 % of patients, predominantly ceftriaxone (72%). The overall SSI rate was 10.9 % (95% CI: 7.1-14.1). Factors significantly associated with SSI included comorbidity, previous surgery, ASA score ≥2, emergency procedures, contaminated/dirty wounds, and lack of prophylaxis.

Despite high SAP utilization, SSI prevalence remains moderate. Strengthening adherence to surgical antibiotic prophylaxis guidelines and optimizing timing and antibiotic choice are recommended to further reduce SSIs. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Funding Statement The author(s) received no specific funding for this work. Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: This research is approved by the Haramaya University Institutional Health Research Ethics Review Committee (Ref. No. IHRERC/224/2023). I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes Data Availability All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.