Infection control, hand hygiene practice and PPE use among phoniatricians and ENT specialists during the COVID-19 pandemic, a UEP survey

Mariam S Shadi,John S Rubin,Reham Abdelwakil Ibrahim,Ahmed Geneid

doi:10.1186/s43163-022-00205-1

Abstract

BackgroundCaring for our patients while taking care of our own safety as well as theirs is a major concern during the current pandemic. Therefore, many societies developed guidance documents to educate clinicians about the required precautions. This study aims to assess personal protective equipment (PPE) usage, hand hygiene practice and infection control training among phoniatricians and otolaryngologists during the pandemic. An online survey was administered during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020. Data collected included PPE availability, infection control training, adopted infection control precautions, hand hygiene practice, and use of different PPE elements as well as adherence to its use during potential aerosol generating procedures.ResultsBased on their country of residences, eligible 154 participants were grouped into 4 groups and their responses were compared.ConclusionFollowing the suggested recommendations, while adequate for some precautions, was still not satisfactory. Certain defects that are specific to particular groups had also been identified.

Highlights

Caring for our patients while taking care of our own safety as well as theirs is a major concern during the current pandemic
Phoniatricians and otolaryngologists are at an increased occupational risk of COVID-19 infection [1,2,3,4] as they manage patients with diseases of the aerodigestive tract and evidence indicated that SARS-CoV2 viral density is greatest in the nose/nasopharynx of infected persons [2, 5]
Most participants have over 10 years of experience with no significant differences identified between groups

Summary

Introduction

Caring for our patients while taking care of our own safety as well as theirs is a major concern during the current pandemic. Data collected included PPE availability, infection control training, adopted infection control precautions, hand hygiene practice, and use of different PPE elements as well as adherence to its use during potential aerosol generating procedures. AGPs result in the release of airborne viral particles, either by mechanically dispersing aerosols or by inducing the patient to cough, gag or sneeze [1, 5, 7, 9]. This imposes a risk of airborne transmissions of infections that classically spread via droplet transmission [2, 5]. Any decision to perform these procedures should include consideration of the patient’s medical condition, Shadi et al The Egyptian Journal of Otolaryngology (2022) 38:14

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Discussion

Conclusion