Magnitude of Surgical Site Infections, Bacterial Etiologies, Associated Factors and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Isolates Among Post-Operative Patients in Harari Region Public Hospitals, Harar, Eastern Ethiopia

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are infections that occur one month after a surgical operation or one year after implant surgery and a surgical procedure, either at the injury site or near the injury site. Surgical site infections are still a major global problem, especially in developing countries, where they cause increased morbidity and mortality. There is a dearth of information regarding SSIs in the eastern Ethiopia, particularly in this study area. Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of SSIs, bacterial etiologies, associated factors, and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of isolates among post-operated patients admitted to public hospitals in the Harari Region, eastern Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 306 patients who had undergone surgery. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used for assessing the sociodemographic and clinical factors. Following standard microbiological techniques, wound swabs and pus specimens were collected and transported to Harar Health Research and Regional Laboratory for isolation, identification of bacteria, and antibiotic susceptibility test. Data were double entered onto Epi Data version 3.5.1 software and transferred to Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 20.0 for analysis. P-value 0.05 was declared as statistical significant. Results: In this study, the overall prevalence of surgical site infection was 11.8% (95% CI: 8.3-15.4%) and Staphylococcus aureus (30.3%) was the most frequent isolate. Both S. aureus and coagulase negative Staphylococci were 100% resistant to penicillin. Wound with drain (AOR = 24.538; 95% CI: 10.053-59.898), being diabetic patient (AOR = 7.457, 95% CI 2.893-19.221), age 60 years (AOR = 4.139, 95% CI 1.278-13.40), surgical procedure duration of more than 2 hours (AOR = 0.159, 95% CI 0.040, 0.630), being alcohol drinker (AOR = 2.58, 95% CI 1.091-6.102) and having dirty surgical wound (AOR = 9.026; 95% CI: 3.503-23.255) were factors significantly associated with SSIs. Conclusion: In this study, single and multiple drug resistance to the commonly used antibiotics was high. Therefore, intensifying the implementation of infection prevention and patient safety measures and identifying an etiological cause may minimize the burden.