Following proper antibiotic protocol is easy in theory. Just pick the agent recommended for a particular surgery and administer the drug one hour before the procedure's start time. That's all true, but your clinical staff may not understand why they do what they do. They may not know why certain antibiotics are better for specific procedures, why it's less effective to start antibiotic administration after the initial incision or why they may have to give patients additional doses of prophylactic agents during longer cases. Here's a look at the science behind antibiotic administration and how that science supports the best practices for infection prophylaxis.