Background
: Tetanus is uncommon but a fatal disease. The causative organism on tetanus introdu-ces its spores into the damaged or the devitalized tissue. However, it seems that Korean doctors' prescription behavior for the tetanus prophylaxis in wound management is inappropriate. This study was designed to study what kind of management had been performed in practice and how to solve the problems in the tetanus prophylaxis.

Methods : We developed a questionnaire and gave it one-hundred doctors in three general hospitals in Seoul. Then we analyzed the ninety-nine questionnaires except a inappropriate one.

Results : 75.8% of respondents didn't respond that they performed the tetanus prophylaxis in wound management on the reasonable guideline, but the difference among three hospitals was not significant statistically(P>0.05). The reasons not to perform it on the reasonable guideline were lack of knowledge about the standard protocol for the tetanus prophylaxis, the doctors' protective management behavior, and the unavailability of Td in Korean. In order to prevent tetanus in wound management, 48.5% respondents responded that they had given only TIG(tetanus immune globulin) in any case besides antibiotics administration, 33.3% had given only TIG in the selected cases by the state of vaccination and the state of wound. For the time to give TIG, 68.7% of respondents responded that they had ordered TIG injection after wound management,. About the problems for tetanus prophylaxis in trauma they pointed out that Td was not available, and the extravagant use of TIG was common, and doctors didn't take patient's vaccination history and consider it.
Conslusions: We concluded that it was necessary that Korean pharmaceutical company should produce Td urgently and reeducation of Korean doctors about the tetanus prophylaxis should be performed.