The Practice of Surgical Doctors toward Cutaneous Abscess Drainage in Khartoum and Bahri Localities Teaching Hospitals

Abstract

Cutaneous abscesses are infections of the skin and soft tissue, usually caused by the Staphylococcus aureus organisms. The study aimed to describe the patterns of doctor’s practice toward cutaneous abscess management. A facility descriptive Cross-sectional base study conducted among the doctors of the surgery emergency departments of five teaching hospitals in Khartoum and Bahri localities that perform emergency operations for superficial cutaneous abscesses, Total coverage of the study population data collected through predesigned questionnaires that included different variables representing the medical history, physical examination, investigation and treatment of cutaneous abscess. Out of 127 participants included in the study from 5 hospitals, with mean age of 26.66 years and mean of months surgical experience 19.2. Out of 24.4% of the participants were provided by the hospital protocol of management, 72.4% were found to be operating one septic list per duty and 76.4% of the participants following senior instructions in their practice. Only 46.5% inquired prior antibiotic usage for the abscess in medical history, 31.5% checked for respiratory rate, 33.1% obtained blood culture, 74.0% did not inject local anesthetics at the abscess roof , 96.1% followed incision and drainage, 22.0% followed aspiration and antibiotics, 87.4% of the participants routinely prescribing post-operative antibiotics for every cutaneous abscess patients and most of them prescribing Augmentin. Only 51.2% were following daily dressing manner for abscess patients. Study participants showed different patterns of practice in cutaneous abscess management, senior instructions determined the majority practice and routine prescription of postoperative antibiotics was one of the most important negative findings of the study. Important details of cutaneous abscess management were not covered in the guidelines including anesthesia, operative details and dressing patterns.