Assessment of Laryngoscope Decontamination Practices Followed by Anaesthetists of Rajasthan, India: An Online Survey

Background: A laryngoscope is one of the essential equipment of invasive anaesthetic procedures. It is a potential source of hospital acquired infections (HAI) and its spread is not appreciated by the anaesthesiologists. The objective of this study was to assess the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of anaesthesiologists towards the decontamination of laryngoscope in government and private hospitals of Rajasthan. Since this type of study had not been conducted yet in our setting, therefore it was unique. Methods: An online survey was conducted for four months from November, 2019 to February, 2020 in leading government and private hospitals of Rajasthan. A google form consisting of questions regarding the common laryngoscope decontamination practices was sent to 100 anaesthesiologists. Results: A total of 80 responses were received.70 % anaesthesiologists agreed that their hospital had a well-defined protocol for disinfection, whereas 7.5 % denied and 12.5 % had no knowledge of protocols.66 % of the anaesthetists agreed that the staff had been trained properly for the same, 26 % denied any training and 8 % had no knowledge about the training.61 % of them admitted that they do not disinfect laryngoscope, while 25 % disinfected by autoclaving and 5 % used chemical disinfectant. Conclusions: To ensure appropriate knowledge and safe practice of laryngoscope, proper training should be provided to all the healthcare workers. It will also be helpful in making IEC (Information, Education and Communication) material. There is a need to follow standard national guidelines for adequate decontamination of anaesthesia-related equipment.