Preventive Antibiotic After Surgery

Why is this important?

It is important for hospitals to cease administering preventive antibiotics within 24 hours after surgery to avoid side effects and other problems associated with antibiotic use. For certain surgeries, however, antibiotics may be required for an extended time after surgery.

Higher percentages are better.

Information About SCIP

Hospitals can reduce the risk of surgical infection by following proven surgical-care standards. SCIP (Surgical Care Improvement Project) is a national quality improvement project designed to improve surgical care in hospitals. SCIP is sponsored by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in collaboration with a number of other national partners, including the American Hospital Association (AHA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).

This data, based primarily on data collected by Baxter Regional Medical Center hospital from April 2007 through March 2008, was released publicly on December 18, 2008.