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Quality and Safety

Surgery Patients Whose Preventative Antibiotic(s) Are Stopped within 24 Hours after Surgery

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InstitutionRating
U.S. Average186%
N.C. Average289%
Top Hospitals398%
Duke Raleigh Hospital85%
Duke University Hospital94%
Durham Regional Hospital93%

The rates displayed in this graph are for discharges October 2007 through September 2008. Source: hospitalcompare.hhs.gov
(1) The U.S. average includes all reporting hospitals in the United States.
(2) The N.C. average includes all reporting hospitals in the state of North Carolina.
(3) "Top Hospitals" represent the top 10% of hospitals nationwide. These hospitals achieved 98% or better on this measure.

What Does This Measure?

Percentage of surgery patients whose preventative antibiotic(s) are stopped within 24 hours after their surgery ends.

Why Is This Important?

In most cases, it is not necessary to continue giving patients antibiotics more than 24 hours after surgery. Antibiotic overuse can increase the risk of side effects and cause bacteria to become resistant to the medication.

What Are We Doing to Improve Our Performance?

Duke has enacted several initiatives to improve our performance. These include:

More Information

About This Page

Published: Mar. 17, 2008
Updated: June 19, 2008
URL: http://www.dukehealth.org/AboutDuke/quality/performance_measures/surgery/antibiotic_stopped