Antibiotics are medicines that prevent and treat infections. Administering an antibiotic within one hour before surgery reduces the risk of wound infections.
Hospitals should ensure that a surgery patient receives antibiotics at the right
time.
Why this is important:
Research shows that surgery
patients who receive antibiotics within the hour before their operation are less likely
to develop wound infections. Administering an antibiotic earlier, or after surgery begins,
is not as effective.
The chart above shows how often hospitals ensure surgery patients get
preventative antibiotics at the right time.