Evaluation of Perioperative Antibiotic Prophylaxis Practice in Elective General Surgery at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria

Perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis is a cornerstone of surgical site infection prevention, yet its practice in Nigerian teaching hospitals frequently deviates from evidence-based protocols. This study evaluates the appropriateness of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis in elective general surgical cases at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Kaduna State. A prospective observational design is applied over a four-month data collection period, documenting antibiotic selection, timing of first dose relative to skin incision, re-dosing practice during prolonged procedures, and total prophylaxis duration for 200 consecutive elective general surgery cases. Compliance is benchmarked against the WHO Global Guidelines for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection and the Nigerian Standard Treatment Guidelines. Data are analysed using SPSS, with rates of protocol deviation calculated by procedure category and surgeon grade. Available surgical quality literature from North West Nigeria identifies prolonged prophylaxis beyond 24 hours as the most common deviation, occurring in over 60 percent of surgical cases regardless of clean wound classification. The CDC wound classification and the NHSN surgical site infection definition provide the analytical normative standard. Findings will support the hospital's antibiotic stewardship team in implementing structured intraoperative pharmacist checklists and mandatory prophylaxis protocol refresher training. Keywords: antibiotic prophylaxis, surgical site infection, perioperative practice, Zaria, North West Nigeria.