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J Am Acad Audiol 1999; 10(03): 151-159
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1748474
Original Article

Current Trends and Future Needs for Practices in Audiologic Infection Control

Amyn M. Amlani
Jackson County Memorial Hospital, Altus, Oklahoma
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Abstract

A 5–page questionnaire on infection control was randomly distributed to 640 audiologists in the United States. Of these, data analysis is reported on 311. The purpose of the study was to determine (a) the extent of Universal Precautions within the professional setting, (b) the practitioner's personal protective measures, (c) if audiologists were familiar with nomenclature related to infection control, and (d) what future educational directives should be taken. Results indicated that one-half of the respondents' professional settings have not implemented Universal Precautions. Data analysis further suggests that audiologists are apathetic in both personal hygiene and infection control techniques that are applied to instrumentation/equipment. In addition, approximately three-quarters of the respondents reported that they were able to correctly distinguish between infection control terminology. Results suggest that distinctions can be made adequately at least 50 percent of the time, but that terms such as cleaning and disinfecting are not well understood. Future directives suggest that audiologists need more infection control education with the possibility of making such education a mandatory prerequisite for state licensure and/or professional certification, as well as the need to incorporate infection control into the educational curriculum of future audiology students.

Abbreviations: ABR = auditory brainstem response; ENT = ear, nose, and throat

Key Words

Cleaning - communicable disease - disinfecting - infection control - questionnaire - sterilizing - Universal Precautions


Publication History

Article published online:
28 April 2022

© 1999. American Academy of Audiology. This article is published by Thieme.

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