Audiologists’ knowledge of and adherence to biosafety measures

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose: to identify biosafety measures taken by audiologists and their perception of the risks to which they are exposed. Methods: the sample comprised 63 speech-language-hearing therapists who work with clinical and occupational audiology in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The research was conducted online between April and May 2022 via Google Forms®, collecting data with the Audiology Biosafety Questionnaire proposed by Rocha et al. (2015). Results: most professionals reported taking the following measures: washing hands before patient visits (86%), washing hands in-between patient visits (81%), using hand sanitizers (87.5%), wearing white coats that covered their clothes (87%) and keeping them buttoned up (79%), keeping nails clean and trimmed (97%), disinfecting and separating used equipment (94%), and organizing the environment (97%). However, 41% of interviewees left the workplace wearing personal protective equipment, and only 22% and 14%, respectively, wore gloves when performing otoscopy and auditory examinations. Conclusion: research results show that most of the interviewed speech-language-hearing therapists who work in audiology know and practice the biosafety measures indicated in the existing norms.