PRE-INCISION SKIN ANTISEPSIS: PRACTICE PATTERNS AMONG SURGEONS IN NIGERIA

Although studies are rife on preoperative skin antisepsis, little is known about what surgeons in Nigeria practice.

To describe the pattern of practice of skin antisepsis prior to skin incision among surgeons in select tertiary hospitals in Nigeria.

This was a questionnaire-based descriptive cross-sectional survey involving surgeons and surgeons in training in the departments of surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G), otorhinolaryngology (ENT), and oral & maxillofacial surgery (OMS) of 26 select tertiary hospitals from all six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. Data was analysed using version 23 of the SPSS for Windows.

A total of 200 surgeons participated in the study with a male-to-female ratio of 9:1. The mean age was 37.2 ± 5.2 years. Senior registrars constituted 60.5% (n=121), followed by registrars (24%; n= 48) and consultants (15.5%; n= 31). The respondents performed a mean volume of 4 surgeries per week. Their most common practice is to perform skin preparation with 3 antiseptic agents with skin scrubbing lasting for 3-4 minutes. Skin scrubbing was performed for longer duration amongst consultants compared with senior registrars and registrars. Of all the surgical wounds encountered in their practice, 57%were clean. The common complications associated with the use of these antiseptic agents include allergic dermatitis and blisters.

The practice of pre-incision skin antisepsis varies widely among Nigerian surgeons. The majority use 3 antiseptic agents for skin antisepsis although most of the procedures performed were clean surgeries. We recommend further studies to standardize our practice locally.