Assessing the Impact of Targeted Antibiotic Stewardship on Surgical Outcomes- Insights from a Pre-post Intervention Study in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Surgical site infections (SSIs) remain a significant challenge in postoperative care.Inappropriate of antibiotic can aggravate antimicrobial resistance leading to increased healthcare costs.While recent literature has demonstrated the efficacy of antibiotic stewardship efficacy in reducing unnecessary antibiotic exposure, inconsistencies in local practice gaps and adherence to guidelines persist, particularly in the Middle Eastern countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).Realizing the need for context-specific evidence for assessing the impact of targeted antibiotic stewardship on surgical outcomes, this study aims to explore the influence of such implementation using 458 patients' data from primary care hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Employing a cross-sectional chart review, the study compared clinical outcomes and antibiotic usage in before (n=306) and after (n=152) program implementation.The analysis is supported by rigorous statistical analysis to assesses the differences in antibiotic duration, defined daily dose (DDD), hospital stay, readmission, and SSI rates.Key findings revealed significant reduction in antibiotic duration post-stewardship (mean 2.51 vs. 3.18 days, p=0.03), with no noticeable increase in SSIs or readmissions between both the groups.Further, it was also revealed that antibiotic stewardship implementation was effective in minimizing the antibiotic exposure without compromising the clinical outcomes or patient safety.Results highlighted the importance of