Turkiye Klinikleri Journal of Health Sciences

.: ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Türkiye'deki Dil ve Konuşma Terapistlerinin Enfeksiyon Kontrolü Uygulamaları: Tanımlayıcı Araştırma
Infection Control Practices of Speech and Language Therapists in Türkiye: Descriptive Research
Selcan TEKEa , Namık Yücel BİROLb
aKapadokya Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Yüksekokulu, Dil ve Konuşma Terapisi Bölümü, Nevşehir, Türkiye
bTarsus Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Fakültesi, Dil ve Konuşma Terapisi Bölümü, Mersin, Türkiye
Turkiye Klinikleri J Health Sci. 2025;10(1):27-35
doi: 10.5336/healthsci.2024-105430
Article Language: TR
Full Text
ÖZET
 Amaç: Dil ve konuşma terapistleri (DKT), herhangi bir danışan grubuyla çalışırken doğrudan ya da dolaylı olarak temas hâlindedir. Bu duruma bağlı olarak DKT'lerin sağladığı değerlendirme ve müdahale hizmetlerinin enfeksiyon kontrolü açısından bazı gereklilikleri bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, Türkiye'de özel ve kamu hastanelerinde, özel eğitim ve rehabilitasyon merkezlerinde, özel dil ve konuşma terapisi kliniklerinde çalışan DKT'lerin enfeksiyon kontrolü uygulamalarının incelenmesi amaçlanmaktır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Araştırmanın deseni genel tarama modelidir. Araştırmaya toplamda 117 DKT katılmıştır. Veri toplama araçları Demografik Bilgi Formu ve Dil ve Konuşma Terapistlerinin Enfeksiyon Kontrolü Uygulamaları Anketi'dir. Demografik Bilgi Formu ile katılımcıların yaşları, çalışma yılları ve çalıştıkları alanlar hakkında bilgi alınmıştır. Enfeksiyon Kontrolü Uygulamaları Anketi, el yıkama, oral değerlendirme, enfeksiyon eğitimi, dezenfeksiyon, kişisel koruyucu ekipman kullanımı, öksürük görgü kurallarına uyumu, enfeksiyon bulaşmasını azaltmak için kullanılan kontrol stratejileri kullanımı ve diğer enfeksiyon kontrol uygulamaları olmak üzere toplamda 8 bölüm ve 41 maddeden oluşmaktadır. Elde edilen veriler IBM SPSS 27.0 programı ile analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular: Araştırmanın bulguları, katılımcıların büyük bir kısmının el hijyeni ve oral değerlendirme sırasında eldiven kullanımı gibi enfeksiyon kontrolü prosedürlerini sık sık veya her zaman uyguladıklarını göstermektedir. Bununla birlikte, katılımcıların önemli bir kısmı çalıştıkları yerlerde enfeksiyon kontrol kılavuzlarının bulunmadığını (%61,54) ve bu konuda düzenli eğitim almadıklarını (%70,09) ifade etmiştir. Sonuç: Türkiye'deki DKT'lerin enfeksiyon kontrolü uygulamaları genel olarak yeterli olmakla birlikte, iş yerlerinde enfeksiyon kontrolüne yönelik kılavuz eksikliği ve eğitimin yaygın olmayışı dikkat çekmektedir. Bu nedenle, enfeksiyon kontrolü konusunda daha kapsamlı eğitim programlarının düzenlenmesi ve standart kılavuzların oluşturulması önerilmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Enfeksiyon kontrolü; dil-konuşma patolojisi; Türkiye
ABSTRACT
 Objective: Speech and language therapists (SLTs) are in direct or indirect contact with their clients during assessment and intervention sessions. As a result, infection control measures are required in SLTs' professional practices. This study aims to examine the infection control practices of SLTs working in public and private hospitals, special education and rehabilitation centers, and private speech therapy clinics in Türkiye. Material and Methods: The study design is a general survey model. A total of 117 SLTs participated in the study. The data collection tools included a Demographic Information Form and the Speech and Language Therapists' Infection Control Practices Survey. The Demographic Information Form gathered information on participants' ages, years of experience, and fields of work. The Infection Control Practices Survey consisted of 8 sections and 41 items, covering handwashing, oral examination, infection education, disinfection, use of personal protective equipment, adherence to cough etiquette, strategies used to reduce infection transmission, and other infection control practices. The data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 27.0 software. Results: The findings showed that the majority of participants frequently or always implemented infection control procedures such as hand hygiene and glove use during oral examinations. However, a significant portion of participants reported a lack of infection control guidelines in their workplaces (61.54%) and noted that they did not receive regular training on the topic (70.09%). Conclusion: While infection control practices among SLTs in Türkiye are generally sufficient, the lack of infection control guidelines in workplaces and the lack of regular training are concerning. It is recommended that more comprehensive training programs be developed, and standardized guidelines be established to improve infection control practices.

Keywords: Infection control; speech-language pathology; Türkiye
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