ObjectiveTo investigate the perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis in patients with hip replacement before and after implementing clinical pathway (CP), so as to provide rational and effective clinical management path.MethodsPerioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis in 120 patients with hip replacement in a hospital between January 2008 and December 2011 was surveyed retrospectively. Sixty patients without implementing CP between January 2008 and December 2009 were as preintervention group, and 60 patients with CP between January 2010 and December 2011 were as postintervention group.ResultsThe rate of antimicrobial used 0.5-2 hours before operation and duration of postantimcrobial prophylaxis≤5 days in postintervention group was significantly higher than that of preintervention group respectively (78.33%［47/60］ vs 31.67%［19/60］,P＜0.05；91.67% ［55/60］ vs 5.00%［3/60］，P＜0.05）; The top three used antimicrobial agents in preintervention group were cefoperazone/sulbactam, cefpiramide, and ceftazidime, which were replaced by cefazolin, cefuroxime, and clindamycin in postintervention group; the average duration of antimicrobial use, average length of hospital stay and daily expense of antimicrobial agents decreased from (13.25±1.69) days, (17.55±1.60) days,and(193.22±34.70) yuan in preintervention group to (4.12±0.87) days, (7.83±1.36) days，and (54.03±9.98) yuan in postintervention group respectively, the difference between two groups was statistically significant（all P＜0.01). ConclusionThe implementation of CP can standardize preventive perioperative antimicrobial use in hip replacement patients, shorten the length of hospital stay,and reduce antimicrobial expense.